Of Inner Demons
by kemor
Summary: After being left by Igneel, Natsu is not found by Makarov. Years later he becomes Salamander - a rogue mage whose main purpose is destroying dark guilds. Fed up with his actions, the Council puts a bounty on his head. This leads to his fateful meeting with a certain redhaired knight. From enemies to soulmates to lovers. NatZa fic, Natsu is stronger/smarter, Rated M for adult themes
1. Salamander

**Hello. If you like this story and my writing, please considerin supporting me on ko-fi, or requesting my services on fiverr. You can find the links on my profile. Thanks!  
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 **Hey. I'm back(kinda) with my first ever Fairy Tail fic. I'm rusty as hell and, as always, struggling with making the dialogue look natural and not cringy and out of character. The plot is pretty much focused on what you've read in the summary, but expect to see it expand with each chapter.**

 **Although this is a NatZa fic, do not expect pure fluff or romance. This is a story of two broken people meeting under very unpleasant circumstances, who later on find out more about each other and without noticing feel the need to be close to each other. Expect to watch their relationship build itself in future chapters.**

 **Do not expect to see harem elements either.**

 **Do forgive me if this story seems to be overused or looks copied - I've read only couple of FT stories. But for now - I hope you enjoy Chapter 1. Please, do let me know what you think in reviews. I can take criticism, but make sure to keep it polite and ripe with advice. Nobody likes to see their work be called "shit" without getting a proper reason.**

 **This story is rated M for violence, occasional language and adult themes.**

* * *

 **November 16th X784, Magic Council HQ, Era  
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Cursing in his mind for the tenth time this day, Makarov Dreyar sighed tiredly and rubbed his burning eyes. He deeply regretted not retiring when he had the chance. If he knew he'd have to sit through THIS, his grandson Laxus would've been the Master by now.

An unusual Council meeting was currently taking place. Councilmen, Military Commanders, Guild Masters and several Wizard Saints sat together by one table. Upon receiving the letter, all of them arrived tense, not sure what to expect. Such official and enormous meeting hasn't happened in years.

"Now that we've finally agreed on the matter of upcoming Grand Magic Games, let us get to the last and most important topic of this meeting." said Council's Chairman, Gran Doma. "As most of you have probably figured out, I have not summoned you all just to discuss the Games, and next year's guild funds."

Makarov straightened himself in his chair and looked around the meeting hall. All the seemingly tired and irritated mages focused on the Chairman, clearly curious. His sheer presence was something unusual, let alone in a meeting with this many high ranked members present at once.

"This issue has been a hidden thorn in not only the Council's side, but entire magic world. The time has come to rip it out and burn without trace."

Previously curious Councilors now started whispering amongst each other, clearly confused. Makarov looked away from the Chairman and frowned - what could possibly be so important to make the usually calm Chairman speak so offensively?

"The matter I wish to discuss is the rogue mage, "Salamander"."

The whispers turned into several loud discussions, as mass confusion consumed the meeting hall. Some members nodded in approval, but majority of present mages never heard of said "rogue mage". Makarov raised an eyebrow, and in the corner of his eye, he noticed his old friend Yajima sigh heavily in defeat. Old Master heard rumors about this youngster, however he never considered his person to be important enough to have an entire meeting dedicated to himself.

The Chairman struck his staff into the floor several times, gaining the attention of distracted mages, as silence fell in the hall once again.

"I understand your confusion. It is not a matter we wished to speak about openly. His existance was not important enough to be discussed on an official meeting. But recently that has changed, and the impact this man has struck on the magic world in recent months, and his crimes committed throughout the years have grown far too big to be left ignored."

Silence fell in the hall, as all mages listened to the Chairman.

"Head of the 4th Custody Enforcement Unit, Lahar, will give us a report of this issue. Lahar, please step out."

A man with black hair and round glasses stood up from his chair and bowed to the Chairman.

"Thank you, Chairman. Before we begin, I'd like to apologize to all of you present here in advance. The reports I am about to read may appear to be confusing and out of place. I will do my best to answer all of your potential questions. Thank you for your patience."

He opened his notebook, cleared his throat and began to read.

"The person I am about to speak of is a rogue mage, who goes by the nickname "Salamander". His real name remains unknown. He does not belong to any guild, be it dark, or legal. Under normal circumstances he'd be rendered as an independant mage, however proof we have gathered over past years suggests otherwise. His main target are Dark Guilds. He tracks them and destroys without a trace. His victims are usually left crippled, scarred, or in worst cases, dead. However, despite his violent behaviour, he does not appear to be completely lethal. His actions have a certain-"

"I'm sorry, but what is so "confusing" about this?" A short Councilman interrupted Lahar, clearly irritated. "Do you think we're stupid enough to not understand a simple report? What you're describing is a typical dark mage, do you think of us as fools, boy?"

"My apologies, Michello-dono, however, if you waited for couple seconds longer, you would've known why it is so confusing." answered Lahar.

Michelo clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Continue, Lahar." said Chairman.

"Yes, sir."

Lahar adjusted his glasses and started to read the rest.

"As I was saying, his actions create a weird pattern. He tracks a guild down, destroys it and then calls for our Military, usually fleeing the scene before our arrival. That is the reason we have no information on his appearance. We've interrogated several captured mages, and their testimonies all come down to three things: he's male, he uses fire magic and covers his entire body, including his face, in clothing. He comes without warning, destroys the guild, calls the Military, and leaves without leaving a trace. Even our best trackers could never pick his trail. He's seemingly invinsible."

"How can we be sure he's not in one of the Dark Guilds? They always fight amongst each other." asked Councilman Yuri.

"My men have encountered him two times, once catching him by pure luck right after his attacks. Upon engaging him in battle, he told them that he does not wish to fight them, and fled the scene."

"Maybe he's just weak? Dark Guilds are usualy made out of the weakest mages, who are heavily inferior to our Military." said Michello mockingly.

"With all due respect Michello, I don't think a weak mage would be capable of destroying entire guilds on his own." thrown in Belno.

"It's just as Belno-dono said." answered Lahar, his tone sounding more serious. "Three months ago, a terrible accident happened in a village near Magnolia. I'm sure you have all heard about it on a meeting."

"Yes, we have. If I'm not mistaken, Makarov-dono's guild was the one to provide first aid to injured villagers." said Jura Neekis, looking at Makarov for confirmation.

"Yes, it's true." answered Makarov "My brats were coming back from a mission. Though when they got there, the village was already in ruins and witnesses were too shocked and injured to know what happened."

"But we do." thrown in Lahar, adjusting his glasses. "Said village was one of the hideouts of Oracion Seiss. They kept their identities secret and used it as one of their bases of operation, living with the villagers in peace. Salamander tracked them and engaged them in battle. Our source claims to have seen Salamander fight three members at once, before both sides fled the scene."

The Council members gasped in shock. The defeat of Oracion Seiss required an alliance of 4 guilds, including a Wizard Saint. To hold his own against three members at once...

Jura stood up from his seat and slammed his hands into the desk.

"Forgive my insolence Lahar-dono, but your source must be wrong. I have seen these mages in action with my own eyes. There is no way one person could have fought three of these skilled mages on their own!"

"I understand your feelings, Jura-dono, but I am in no position of questioning my source. Their data is always correct." retorted Lahar.

"If all of this is true, we have to take action." said Yuri. "If he decides to turn against us, he may turn out to be a tremendous foe."

"Two months ago, we successfully predicted one of his attacks. Although at first unwilling, once we pressured him hard enough, he engaged my unit in battle. He defeated 50 men in a matter of minutes. I'm afraid there is not a single soldier in our army capable of arresting him." said Lahar.

A heated discussion erupted in the hall, compelling arguments being thrown left and right.

"He has to be stopped!"

"Hes doing our work for us, let him be."

"It's only a matter of time before he targets us!"

"This is a declaration of war!"

Makarov stared at his hands, lost in thought. Erza did mention some members of Oracion Seiss appeared to have been already injured, but he never gave it a thought. Three months ago...The Alliance defeated them 10 weeks ago, which leaves a 14 days gap between both incidents. If it was so recent, why hasn't the Council informed them before the attack?

Fairy Tail's Master looked at the Chairman and raised his hand.

"What is it, Saint Dreyar?" asked Gran Doma

"Chairman, may I ask why wasn't The Alliance informed of something this crucial? Weakening three members of Oracion Seiss is a major achievement. This information would've benefitted the operation, and possibly prevented damage, both physical and material, as we would have approached them more carefully."

Council members started to mutter in agreement, nodding.

"At first, we thought of his actions as a favor to the world of magic. However, his claws started to grow in size, turning him into yet another criminal. We were hoping to deal with this matter in secret, but it is far beyond our power. That is the reason I have gathered you all here." Chairman faced the Guildmasters.

"I have a proposal. However, I have no authority to decide it on my own. Therefore a voting will take place. But it appears Councilman Yajima has a better idea."

All the mages faced Yajima, his hand raised in the air.

He stood up from his chair and adressed the Chairman.

"Is he really our enemy? Although I cannot say I agree with his methods, we're all treating him like an enemy of humanity itself. For all we now, he could be just another misguided young mage." he looked at Makarov, almost as if adressing the last sentence to him. The Master snorted quietly in amusement.

"A _young misguided mage_ does not burn down villages and kills or heavily cripples other people." retorted Leiji. "Dark Guild hunting is frowned upon, even amongst legal guilds, unless the Council approves it. Vigilantism is still a crime."

Whispers of approval once again filled the meeting hall. Gran Doma struck the floor with his staff, silencing them yet again.

"I respect and thank you for your opinion, Councilman Yajima. Please, take your seat.."

Yajima bowed and sat down, a sad frown forming on his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is the Council's proposal."

* * *

 **November 17th, Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild**

A young blonde girl yawned soundly in boredom, sprawling her torso all over the table. It was fairly early in the morning, and the guild was seemingly empty. Having nothing better to do, she decided to come earlier than usual, in hope of finding something to kill time.

"Gray, can't we just go on a mission?" she asked a raven-haired boy sitting in front of her.

"You know I'm not the one who picks them, Lucy." answered Gray Fullbuster, lazily flipping a page of his magazine.

Lucy sighed heavily, faceplanting the table. She's always found this rule stupid. Even though they formed their team not so long ago, they should all have same rights. Why does _she_ make all of their decisions on her own?

"You know why." Gray sighed, reading the girl's thoughts.

Lucy straigtened herself up and looked to her right, where an armored, scarlet-haired girl was sitting. Not paying attention to her comrades, she continued eating her cake. Lucy gulped, preparing herself for possible outrage.

"Um, Erza?" she asked her friend carefully.

Erza Scarlet took her eyes off her cake and looked at her friend.

"What is it, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed in relief. Talking to Erza when she's eating her cake usually didn't end well. Taking the knight's calm tone for granted, she felt alot less tense.

"I was wondering, could we go on a mission today? It's not like we have anything to do."

Erza put down her fork and cleaned her lips with a napkin.

"You're right, the guild does seem empty. I think we could go for a quick job." she smiled at the blonde.

"Yes!" screamed Lucy, throwing her arms in the air. Gray looked at them from behind his magazine and sighed. He really didn't feel like going out today.

"Well then, I supose I should go take a look at the board. Any preferences?" the redhead asked her team, standing up from her spot.

"Something with a reward big enough for my rent!"

"Something that doesn't require walking."

Erza smacked Gray across his head and walked up to the board. Seeing no suitable jobs, she shifted her gaze at the second floor. Lately ahe's been thinking about taking her teammates on an S-Class job, but somewhere deep inside, she found them not ready for such an important task. Their skill was not the issue - it was the unpredictibility of S-Class requests.

As Erza continued picking a job, the guilds door opened, startling the redhead. She smiled as she noticed her master standing in the doorway.

"Welcome back, Master. How was the meeting?" asked Lisanna Strauss, who was in charge of the bar.

Makarov muttered something that sounded like "It was fine." and made his way through the guild hall. Upon reaching the stairs to his office, he stopped walking and stood there for couple seconds, before speaking out.

"Erza, come to my office. Alone. There's something I wish to discuss with you."

Erza frowned. His voice sounded way too serious for his carefree nature. She looked at her team, as if expecting an explanation. Gray looked her in the eye and waved his head towards second floor, telling her to go. She nodded and made her way up the stairs, reaching her Master's office. She didn't bother with knocking and opened the door. The very first thing she noticed upon entering the room, was Makarov's figure, showing her his back as he faced the window, as if observing something.

"Close the door." he commanded her.

Erza complied and turned the key over in the lock. She then took her seat and waited for short mage to speak.

"Before we begin, there's something I must know. Are Laxus and Mira currently in Magnolia?" Makarov asked.

"No. Mirajane left this morning to buy supplies and Laxus left on a job with his team. They left two days ago."

Makarov sighed heavily, feeling even more uneasy. He had hoped to catch at least one of them in the guild. He turned around and faced Erza, noticing her worried face.

"Erza, do you trust me?"

The knight's eyes widened in suprise. Why would he ask her that? Wasn't it obvious? Did she do something to make the elder man feel like she didn't trust him?

After a short while, she regained her composure - he would never ask her that without a good reason. Erza gripped her skirt tightly and looked him in the eye.

"Of course, Master."

Seeing her determined eyes, old man nodded and turned to the window once again.

"Very well. Tell me, does the name "Salamander" ring any bells to you?" he asked her.

Erza frowned, trying to remember. She did recall hearing it a time or two, but nothing major came up in her mind.

"I did hear it, however I'm afraid I do not know anything about this person." she answered truthfully.

"I can't blame you. It's someone I didn't know that much about myself, at least until yesterday. On yesterday's meeting, his name had been brought up by the Chairman himself."

"The Chairman attended the meeting?" asked Erza, slightly shocked.

"He did, It was not an ordinary meeting either, almost every important member of the Council was present. All for this "Salamander"."

Now she was shocked. She never heard about such an important meeting. Just who was this Salamander...?

"He tracks down and destroys dark guilds." said old Master, as if reading the girl's mind. "The Council finds him to be a threat to all of Fiore. At first they ignored him, letting him do their dirty work for them. But once he started being more unpleasant than helpful, and the Council was proven to be incapable of arresting him, they started to fear him. So they decided to throw this job onto our shoulders."

Now she was just confused. How come she never heard of this? Her jobs were considered some of the most unpleasant jobs avaible. She had met many outlaws, informators, mercenaries. She herself destroys couple of dark guilds. Surely his actions would have reached her ears at some point.

"The Council decided to put a bounty on his head, in a form of an open S-Class job. It will be sent to all the guilds whose Guildmasters were present at the meeting. That's 12 guilds in total. Whoever captures him first, gets the reward - 30,000,000 jewels."

Erza's eyes widened in shock. "30,000,000?!" she asked. "I don't think I've ever seen a reward this big!"

"That is the amounf of money they're willing to spend to make us do their job for them." Makarov muttered, his tone annoyed. He then turned around and sat on his chair, looking Erza in the eye. "That is why I asked if Mira and Laxus are present. I was planning on sending you three on this job."

Shocked redhead looked at her hands, gripping her skirt even harder. Never in her time in Fairy Tail were three S-Class mages sent on the same job. She had faced many dangers, to the point where some of her jobs were considered impossible to finish. But she'd always pulled through on her own. Was this job _that_ dangerous, or does Master have a plan?

"Master, may I ask why you asked me whether I trust you? Does it have something to do with this job?" she asked him, her tone calmer than she expected.

"Because we are not going to play by the Council's rules." the senior retorted, resting his chin on his hands. "You will leave today. I will have Mira and Laxus join you as soon as they get back. We must be quick about this. If the bounty gets to other guilds, Fiore will become a battlefield for dozens of S-Class mages. We're going to be faster."

Erza nodded in agreement. She knew many S-Class mages, even outside of Fairy Tail. None of them will let this chance slip away and not even the Council's laws will stop them.

"Your job will be finding him, and if necessary, subduing him. However, do not alarm the Council. If you manage to get this far, I will take over."

The knight's eyes widened in suprise. "May I ask why you wish to speak to him?" she asked.

"An old friend asked me to. And to be fair, I agree with him. It's most likely because all you shitty brats have such sketchy backgrounds, but I don't think he's who Council makes him out to be." he chuckled in amusement, making the redhead smile. She could not disagree, even if she wanted to.

"You must hurry. Gather people you consider worthy of this task and leave as soon as you can. Although I was not provided with his whereabouts, I'm most certain you will find the right trail. As for other informations, I will give you this printed copy of Military's reports. Be mindful though, it's full of meaningless records. Finding something useful in here may be difficult."

Makarov slid a pile of papers towards Erza. She stood up from her seat, grabbing them from the the desk.

"I will take my leave, then. I promise to carry out this task to its end." she bowed, opening the door.

"Be careful." Makarov nodded, watching as she disappeared behind the door.

Erza sighed heavily, as she placed her back on the wood. Truth to be told, she felt nervous. This situation was not something she could have ever predicted. With all the stronger members out of town, her only avaible choices for this mission were Gray and Lucy. But are they strong enough...?

The redhead shook her head violently, knocking these thoughts out of her mind. _They're my teammates. I trust them with my life. How could I even let these thoughts form in my head?_

With this resolve, she climbed down the stairs and marched towards her teammates, who were already looking in her way.

"What is it?" asked Gray. Shortly after, Erza repeated the entire conversation to her teammates.

"30,000,000?!" yelled out Lucy, completely shocked, before feeling cold steel on her lips, as Erza gagged her with her hand.

"Yes, Lucy. Be mindful of your surroundings, it's a secret for a reason." Erza hissed, irritated with her friend's reaction.

Lucy looked around, as curious heads turned to look at them. Realising her mistake she sweatdropped and nodded to Erza, who released blonde's mouth.

"Sorry. It's just...I've never heard of this much money being paid for a job."

"Neither have I. And they're willing to give it for capturing some random viligante? Count me in." grinned Gray, confident.

"Yes, they are. But as I said, we're not getting any of that money. This is an extremely dangerous mission, something I should not be taking you on. But I trust you, and I hope you do not fail me." she scowled, looking in Gray's direction, as he muttered a scared "Yes, ma'am."

"With that said, we're leaving today. Meet me in an hour on train station. Take only necessary things, we travel light. Oh, and Lucy?" she adressed the blonde, handing her papers givev to her by Makarov "Your job will be reading this. Tell us everything you find important."

Happy to receive the easier part of the job, Lucy nodded. Just when they were about to leave, a sudden scream stopped them in their tracks.

"WAIT!" yelled Makarov, quickly climbing down the stairs. He ran up to Erza and her team, catching his breath.

"What is it, Master?" asked Erza, expecting to hear some valuable information he may have forgotten.

The older mage took a wide swing and smacked his hand into Lucy's butt with full strenght, making the blonde yelp out in pain.

"I forgot something!" grinned Makarov.

"Master..." Erza sweatdropped, as Lucy sobbed quietly in the background.

"Good luck, my children." he said in farewell.

The trio nodded and left the guild, going separate ways to prepare for the mission.

* * *

An hour later, the team gathered in Magnolia Station. Both Lucy and Gray had small backpacks hanged over their shoulders, and Erza(much to her friends shock) had only one suitcase.

"So, where to now? Did Gramps give you any leads?" asked Gray.

"No, he didn't. But I already know where to start looking." the knight responded. "We're going to Lupinus Town."

An hour later, the trio was already sitting in the train, which was making its way towards their destination.

"Lucy, you've been reading that thing ever since we left. Have you found anything useful?" asked Gray.

"It's just like Master said, it's practically full of pointless reports." Lucy sighed, slightly disappointed. "The only valuable piece of information I've found thus far, is that he uses fire magic."

"Fire magic? This job is getting easier with each minute!" smirked Gray, punching his hand.

"Gray." Gray jumped in his seat, feeling hundreds of dangers piercing his skin, as he fell victim to Erza's glare. "The Council itself has put up this request. This may turn out to be the most difficult and dangerous job you wil ever go on. I took you with me, because I trusted you are ready. But you're slowly betraying my trust."

Lucy shrieked in her seat, hiding her face behind the papers. She was glad to not be on the receiving end of redhead's death glare.

"Sorry." murmurred Gray, his previous confidence strangled in its crib.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Lucy decided to keep Erza busy long enough to calm down.

"Erza, why exactly are we going to Lupinus? Do you have an idea of where to look for this guy?" she asked the knight.

Erza relaxed her face and looked at Celestial Mage, taking the bait.

"No, but someone who may know lives there. Whenever I was stuck during my missions, he was the one to point me in the right direction. I don't want to admit it, but if he doesn't know this "Salamander", I doubt we will find him on our own."

This only made Lucy more tense - they had only one shot. If this person doesn't know anything, they're done.

"You're the boss." sighed Gray, looking out the window.

The rest of their journey went by in silence. Lucy focused on her lecture, Gray spaced out while looking at what was behind the window and Erza was sitting in her seat, with her eyes closed.

She couldn't get rid of that bad feeling she had ever since they left. She was worried about her teammates, true, but they were not the cause of her hunch. Trying to imagine what sort of a mage Salamander is was rather difficult, as even his appearance was a mystery. Battle simulations weren't easy either - despite having three counters to his Fire Magic, she didn't feel even a bit confident.

Finally, they reached their destination and got off on an rather obscure looking station. Lupinos didn't have the reputation of the most beautiful town, so for Erza, it was to be expected. Gray and Lucy, on the other hand...

"What the hell's wrong with this town?!" asked Lucy, suprised at the state the city was in.

Every single building they laid their eyes on was either a ruin. or was poorly patched up with materials that did not match each other at all. The station itself was probably the best preserved object in the entire city. Houses were missing walls, chunks of rooftops and some of them didn't have glass in their window frames. Those who could afford some repairs plugged holes in their walls with wood, which was already rotting from both rain and age. Far away, they could spot a castle, or rather its ruins. No matter how they looked at it, this town was...

"...a complete shithole." Gray stated, stunned. "Are you sure this is the place, Erza?"

"Yes." replied the redhead. "This town was once an inhabited area, just like Magnolia. But wars between mages took a toll on this place and now it's a hideout for some rather unpleasant folk. They're not dangerous, not unless you start trouble. Stick close to me and we'll be fine."

Lucy immediately ran up to Erza, grabbing her armored arm. They walked for couple of minutes, eagerly following Erza until they stopped in front of a bar. Though the only thing telling them it was a bar was a rather fresh sign, as the building itself didn't look much different from others. The trio entered the building and were met with a rather foul stench of wood soaked with alcohol and tabacco. Windows were covered with black curtains nailed into the wooden frames, blocking any light from entering the local. Stools were put on top of filthy tables, clearly not used in ages. It was hard to see, as the only source of light was a lantern, standing on top of the barcounter, where a man was sitting, focused on his book. He had a black hairstack on his head that apparently was his hair, with a week old beard glued to his face. He was most likely in his forties.

"Closed. Get out." said the man, his voice raspy and rough.

Erza walked up to the counter and put her hands on top of it, making nothing of the man's demands.

"You sure?" she asked him in a serious voice.

The man looked up from his book and squinted his eyes, trying to recognize the woman in front of him. After a while, his frown disappeared, replaced with a joyful expression.

"Well, I'll be damned! Erza!"

Throwing his book aside, the man stood up from his chair and wrapped his arms around the redhead, pulling her in for a rather aggressive hug.

Lucy gasped in shock, suprised by his sudden behavior. Gray, on the other hand, made a cross on his head and torso with his hand, praying for this poor bastard's yet to be ripped out soul. To their bigger shock, Erza did not assault the man, but instead lightly hugged him back, patting him on the back.

"You reek, Troy." she said jokingly, making him release her in a flash, as he started to smell himself.

"And you're as hot as ever, so same old I guess." Troy chuckled. He looked at Erza's teammates, who just stood there, stunned by what was happening in front of them. "And they are...?"

"My teammates." answered shortly Erza. "They're with me."

Smiling even wider, Troy extended his hand to Gray and Lucy. "Well, Erza's friends are my friends. I'm Troy."

"Gray Fullbuster." said Gray, shaking the mans hand.

"Lucy." greeted him Lucy, grimacing upon feeling his strong grip.

"Well then." said Troy, sitting back in his chair. "What brings you here? I doubt you're here to talk about old times?" he asked them, as the trio took their seats as well.

"I need your help." responded Erza. "I know I owe you alot, but this time I really can't do it without your help."

"Stop it. You know I'll never pay back that debt I owe you. Giving you some information is the least I can do." he waved his hand, making the knight smile. "Well, spit it out. Who, or, what are you tracking this time?"

Reequip mage looked at her teammates, as if looking for advice. Catching her gaze, they both nodded, getting a nod from Erza in return. Looking back at Troy, she answered his question.

"Salamander."

Upon hearing the name, Troy snorted loudly, as an ironic chuckle found its way through his mouth, which irritated Gray.

"Did she say something funny?" he asked, not fond of his reaction.

"I'm afraid she did." Troy retorted, this time dead serious. "Let me put it that way, kid - you'll have an easier time catching smoke, than this guy."

Erza frowned. That's definitely not what she had hoped to hear. This wasn't just about the job - if S-Class mages from all 12 guilds start their hunt, they will definitely engage each other in battle. Money tempts even the wisest mages. A battle between S-Class mages could result in a disaster.

"Is there really nothing you can tell us? This is urgent." she asked the man, looking him deep in the eye.

Seeing determination in redhead's eyes, Troy sighed heavily and scratched his head.

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't say I don't know anything. But what I've got is probably not that different from those papers your cute friend is reading there." he said, looking at papers held by Lucy. "This is some Council shit, right?" he asked her, receiving an approving nod. "I'll tell you everything I know, but don't expect a miracle." he said, this time looking at Erza.

"Thank you."

Troy pulled out a cigarette and lightened it. Upon taking a drag from his cancer stick, he blew out some smoke and shared his intel with the team.

"Salamander, the rogue mage. Uses fire magic, hunts down dark guilds and criminals, avoids legal mages and Council members unless he has no other choice. That's all you know, right?" he asked them, receiving nods from the trio. He tapped some ash from his cigarette's tip and continued. "He has no base of operation. He sleeps in caves, bushes, on trees. A man of nature, I'd say. He's rather young, possibly your age. They told you he was an independant vigilante, but what they didn't tell you, is that he's a merc. He takes jobs that are not sent to the guilds for various reasons - they're not that different from jobs you used to take back in the day, Erza. They're all on brink of being illegal, some of them actually cross that line. He talked to only one of his clients and I happen to know the guy, that's how I know he's young. He finds a request, tracks down the client, gets a stamp, carries it out and takes the reward, with no conversations what so ever. But people put up these jobs in hopes of finding him in their doorstep and from what I heard, he's one of the best."

Erza listened, as Troy tapped some ash once again. He was right - the main reason Master forced her to form a team was so that she stopped taking these dangerous missions. When it comes to that, they truly were similiar. Troy took another drag and continued.

"But most of the time, he hunts down dark guilds. Baram Alliance is one bigass tree, with each branch being one, big "alliance". From what it seems, he's going up the branches - starting with small fries, only to get to get rid of the top. That's how he got to Oracion Seiss couple weeks ago. Though they were quite easy to get to, as they didn't really take that many guilds under their banner. But if you ask me, that was a detour, as his main targets are..."

Troy stopped and looked at Erza, who met his gaze. His bored expression was replaced with of a slight worry. They stared at each other for awhile, before Troy broke the contact and crushed his cigarette in an ashtray.

"Nah, nevermin-".

"Tell me."

He looked up, as Erza stared at him with an intimidating look, as if already knowing his answer. After a short fight with her steel eyes, the bartender gave up and sighed heavily, before finishing his sentence.

"Slavers. His main target are slavers."

Redhead's eyes widened in shock, as suddenly all painful memories started to flow into her mind. Cells, chains, whips, Jellal, Rob, Rosemarry Vilage - everything struck at once, with unexpected force. She clutched her head with her hand, sinking down in her seat, panting heavily. Lucy immediately scooped over, wrapping her arm around the shaking knight. Troy looked at Gray with "I'm sorry" written on his face, but the brunette shook his head, assuring him he wasn't at fault.

Erza took a deep breath, calming herself down as Lucy continued to rub her back in worry.

"Thank you, Lucy. I'm fine now." she smiled weakily at the blonde, who smiled back in return. She then faced Troy and said " Continue, please."

Still feeling uncomfortable, the older man clicked his tongue and pulled out another cigarette, lighting it.

"I don't know if it's a grudge, or a coincidence, but the way I see it, he's much more aggressive when it comes to them than other guilds. Either way, I sure would like to shake his hand one day. Guy's doing us all a favor."

"And you don't know where, or how to find him?" asked Gray.

"No. He's the one doing the finding. If he wants to meet you, he will find you. If you try to find him, you'll just waste your time. From what I heard, he knows how to cover his trail. Not even military dogs can catch his smell."

"Well, if a dog can't catch him, maybe tincan will get something?" ice mage asked his teammates.

"We don't have enough time to go get him. We must carry this mission out with what we currently have." stated Erza. She stood up from her chair and faced Troy. "Thank you, friend. I don't know what I'd do without you." she smiled at him, extending her hand.

The man stood up and grabbed her hand, giving it a firm shake.

"It's the least I can do. Good luck, Erza. And take care."

The trio nodded and left the bar, heading towards train station.

"Where have you met this guy?" asked Gray, looking back at the bar. "When he grabbed you I was sure you'd kill him."

"He may seen unable to read the mood, but the man's not dangerous." chuckled Erza. "He lost his family and became a bandit, though he was never fond of violence. I met him on one of my jobs when he was injured defending a girl from his "friends". I helped him defeat them and took him to a nearby village, where they patched him up,. Ever since then, he thinks of me as his goddess, who saved his life. He then came here and got interested in rumors. Soon after, the main currency in his bar was information. Every time I was having trouble tracking something, or someone nearby Lupinos, he would point me in the right direction."

"Damn." said Gray in an impressed tone. "I didn't know you hanged out with such company."

"You don't know many things about me, Gray." she smiled mischieviously.

"So, where to now? He didn't give us any directions." Lucy asked Erza, worried they failed the job.

"I've got an idea where we can look." responded Erza. "For the past couple months, a certain village kept sending requests to many guilds. According to the villagers, their local guild was a dark guild that kept terrorizing and blackmailing the inhabitants. The problem is, the guild itself is officially registered as a legal guild and no evidence had been found that suggests otherwise. However the villagers kept sending the requests, to the point where majority of guilds banned them from sending any requests at all. Although Fairy Tail was the only guild to not ban them, we kept ignoring them. But last month they just stopped coming. At first I even asked Master if he had finally banned them, but it turns out they just stopped sending them in."

"Where are you going with this? That they found someone who took the job outside of legal guilds?" frowned Gray.

"Exactly." retorted Erza, looking Gray in the eye.

The ice mage's eyes widened, as he realised what she meant. "You think he'll be there?" he asked her, his face immediately getting serious. "If he really is in that village, we have to be careful. That guy said something about him taking on Oracion Seiss, and we all know how our fight against them went down."

"I know. That's why I forbid you both to hold back if we engage him."

Lucy gulped in fear, but nodded. Even with Erza and Gray by her side, she didn't feel too safe. Still, Master was the one to entrust them with this task. She couldn't back down, not after coming this far.

Gray smirked and punched his hand, cold spreading across his arm. He was up against a fire mage - as an ice mage, it was his duty to take him down.

"The request was not just about blackmail - they claimed people kept disappearing. If what Troy said is true, he may take an interest in this job." Reequip mage turned around and looked at her teammates, her face determined. "That's why we're going to unofficially take their request as well - we're going to Blackhill Village."

"Yes, ma'am!"

* * *

Later that day, the team arrived in Blackhill. The sun was already starting to set in, as orange light covered the village. Although it was in much better shape than Lupinos, saying this place looked good would be a lie. The villagers were wearing rags, some of them with yellowish and purple bruises peeking from under their clothes. The houses they lived in looked old, almost abused, as nearly all of them were covered in mud, rust and old, dry paint peeling off the walls. They clearly needed some repairs.

But one building clearly stood out from the rest, as it looked clean, almost brand new, with a giant sign saying _Dragon Claw_ nailed just above the entrance. Loud sounds of laughter, music and clapping could be heard, even through thick closed door of the guild. It was pretty obvious who truly ruled this village. **  
**

"You know, I'm starting to think these people weren't lying after all." muttered Gray to Erza, receiving a slight headshake from the knight.

"This village has a mayor. He's the man behind the requests. If anyone can help us, it's him." whispered the redhead, trying not to startle nearby villagers.

The team walked up to a young boy sitting on his porch. He didn't look well - his clothes were full of holes and his nails almost black from dirt. He was eating an apple, lazily looking at the sunset. He then noticed people coming towards him and stood up from his spot, almost as if ready to run.

"Wait, we're not here to hurt you." said Erza, putting her hands up in the air as a sign of peace. The boy looked at her, not letting his guard down. "We're looking for the mayor. Can you tell us where to find him?"

The boy hesitated for a while, as he eyed all three mages very carefully. Finally, he turned around to face them, before pointing his finger to the building at the end of the alley. "There. He works in the bar in the evenings."

"Thank you." Erza smiled at him and waved her hand at her team, telling them to follow her.

They followed his directions and founds themselves in front of yet another bar(which Gray commented accordingly). Reequip mage pushed the door and entered the local.

Unlike Troy's bar, this one was actually quite crowded. Almost every table was stacked with dirty looking people, clearly tired after long day of work. They all sipped their drinks in silence, only few of them engaging each other in conversation. The only seats avaible were by the counter, behind which stood a short, older man with a mustache. He was focused on cleaning a very filthy glass, not paying attention to his guests. For some reason, he loked nervous, afraid even. Erza figured out that this must be the mayor. The trio sat down, and only then did the man notice them.

"Oh, my apologies, didn't see you there." he apologized to them in a gentle, elderly voice, as he smiled at them. "Would you like a drink?"

"No, we're good." responded softly Erza. She could smell the fakeness of his smile. Something was definitely wrong with this place. "We're here in business."

The mayor chuckled, as he continued to clean his glass. "Business, eh? Does this "business" have anything to do with me, by any chance?" he laughed.

Erza smiled lightly. "Yes, I'm afraid it does. We're from Fairy Tail."

Upon hearing these words, the mayor stopped in his tracks. His previously kind face was replaced with a scowl, as he looked at young mages with a slight disguist in his eyes. This sudden change scared Lucy, as the previously cheerful old man now looked like a dangerous individual.

"I'm afraid we have nothing to discuss. I must ask you to leave." he hissed, his voice full of poison.

Erza, clearly not indimidated, leaned towards the mayor and whispered in an equally serious tone. "Let us help you. All we need are answers."

The man stared back at Erza, making her feel slightly uneasy. "I have nothing to tell you. You mages have already taught us to take care of our problems on our own."

It took her a second, but redhead's eyes slowly widened, as she read deeper into the mayor's words. Did he..?

"What have you done?" she hissed, her gauntleted hand gripping tightly on the counter.

The mayor put his glass down and leaned towards Erza, as they were now mere centimeters away from each other.

"Listen, kid. I've been watching these good people suffer for years. I've seen their children being taken away from them, I've seen their houses burn, I've seen women being repeatedly taken against their will right in front of their husbands. I was willing to give all the money I had, I was BEGGING the Council to help us. But they simply shrugged it off and left us alone with these monsters. So I've decided to step into their territory."

Erza was in shock. The mayor had no reason to lie, nothing to gain. How come none of these details ever found their way into the requests? Did someone from the Council cover this up? If only she knew what was happening here...

"To beat a monster, you need _another_ monster. But I am not a mage, and I'm not ready to leave my people alone in this cruel world just yet. So if you can't fight the monster by becoming one, the answer is simple. You _hire_ the monster."

Erza quickly shot back up to her feet. "Gray! Luc..."

A powerful explosion erupted in the city, as the shockwave hit the bar, breaking the glass in windows. Some people fell off their chairs, including Lucy. Erza quickly ran up to the window, looking for the source of the shockwave, but she didn't have to look too far - _Dragon Claw'_ s guildhall, which was just 200 meters away, was bursting in flames. People who got knocked out of the bulding by the explosion were crawling on the ground, twisting in agony as their clothes burned along with their skin. Erza quickly turned to face the mayor, who glared back at her - his eyes had no room for guilt or compassion. She didn't have to think twice to realise what was going on.

 _"He's here."_

With that thought she jumped out of the window, with Gray and Lucy following her, as the ice mage quickly started extinguishing people and nearby houses while running.

Just before they reached the building, something broke out of it through the wall, as if thrown by someone with ridiculous force. That something turned out to be a rather tall, skinny man in a black coat, as he flew across the street and hit the building in front of the guild with enough force to crack its wall. He coughed up alot of blood, before sliding down the wall, landing on his bottom. His face was covered in blood and he clearly had internal damage, as he desperately gasped for air.

Upon seeing this, Lucy stopped running and covered her mouth, terrified. It all happened in a moment, leaving her with no time to mentally prepare herself. She couldn't get her eyes off the injued man, as he desperately tried to stand up, only to feel his legs buckle under his weight. Even Gray was shocked, despite having experience with brutal jobs. He instinctively got in front of Lucy, ready to defend her. Erza, on the other hand, remained calm and Reequipped a sword, expecting someone to come out the burning building.

She was right, as someone started coming out through the hole. It was clearly a man. His entire body was covered from toes to the top of his head. He was wearing black, heavy combat boots, with black military pants covering his lower body. His hands were covered in bandages, reaching up to his elbows, tied on top of his black, buttonless jacket's sleeves he was wearing under his dark-blue cloak. His mouth and nose were covered with a white scarf, pulled up so high it almost reached the dark-blue bandanna that sat on top of his head, leaving him with a very narrow gap to see through.

Upon emerging from the hole, the trio was suddenly met with his magical power. It felt as if gravity was suddenly increased, and Lucy's knees buckled under her from the weight of his power. Not bothering to fight it, she let herself drop to the ground, staring in fear at the man.

 _"What the hell is this?! I think I'm gonna throw up..."_ thought Gray, terrified. He never felt such disguistingly high magic, not even from people in his guild he himself considered monsters. He shifted his eyes to the knight standing in front of him, his previous confidence oozing out of him like air from a popped baloon. He gulped loudly, and took a step back. " _I may be shitting my pants here, but this guy might be too much, even for Erza."_

Erza, on the other hand, took a fighting stance. His magic was truly beyond powerful, but she couldn't back down. Not after seeing what he's capable of. She looked at unconsciouss men lying on the ground, covered in burns, feeling her hands tighten on her sword in anger - he had to be stopped, here and now. She glued her eyes back to his figure, expecting him to attack.

Salamander, however, didn't even notice them, as he continued making his way towards the beaten guild member. His eyes widened in fear, as Salamander finally closed the distance betwen them and put his hand around the man's throat, lifting him up just high enough to take the ground away from his feet. The skinny man wiggled his legs in the air, struggling to breathe as he wrapped his hands around Salamaner's arm, trying to loosen up his grip.

"Where are they?"

Salamander's voice was merciless and quiet. He stared deep into Dragon Claw member's eyes, waiting for his answer. Upon hearing none, he tightened his grip, strangling the man, before repeating the question, this time louder.

"I asked you, where are they..."

"HEY!"

Salamander slowly turned his head in direction of the shout, finally noticing the three mages looking his way. He quickly checked each of them out, before laying his eyes on the raven-haired man's guild mark located on his bare chest. Figuring out it wasn't him, he looked at the kneeling girl, dismissing her as well. That left him with a redhaired knight, pointing at him with her sword.

"Unhand him immediately." she hissed dangerously, glaring daggers into his eyes.

Salamander remained quiet for a while, before turning away from the readhead, focusing once again on the now purplefaced man he was still holding in his grasp.

"If you want to make yourselves useful, go downstairs. You'll find 8 missing girls chained up in the basement."

Erza's anger was now peaking, as she stepped towards the rogue mage, ready to strike at any moment.

"You're from Fairy Tail, right?" he asked Erza, looking in her direction "Go downstairs and call Rune Knights. I'm pretty sure these are the people you call when dealing with slavers."

The man he's been holding all this time lost consciousness, as his limp hands fell off Salamander's arm. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and threw him aside like a ragdoll.

"Look what you've done, now I have to get another one to interro..."

"Not another step."

Salamander glared at the knight, clearly irritated. Without him noticing she slowly, but surely closed the distance between them, as they were now only 5 meters away from each other. Sensing that a fight may be inevidable, he decided to calm the situation down.

"I don't want to fight you." he said truthfully. Fighting them would not only be dangerous for the village, but him as well. The woman in front of him was clearly on another level - holding back wouldn't be an option.

Tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Erza and Salamander just stood there, measuring each other up. One wanted to avoid combat, the other wondered if attacking was a wise choice. Behind Erza stood Gray, still on guard, with Lucy sitting awkwardly behind him on the ground.

Erza felt drops of sweat run down her face and it wasn't because of the heat. Now that she had slightly calmed down, she could analise the situation properly. Lucy was basically out of comission - probably for the best. Despite not seeing him in action, she knew Salamander was intelligent. In case of a fight, Lucy would be his first target, as she's clearly the weakest out of the trio. Gray, on the other hand, did not give in to the pressure - 2v1. With these numbers, there was still a chance. But was it really worth it? If what he said about the basement is true, fighting him may only prevent saving the victims. On the other hand, it could very well turn out to be a trap...

As Erza continued her brainstorm, Salamander realised talking to her was pointless, and started walking towards the guildhall.

"Wai-"

 ** _EVIL EXPLOSION!_**

Erza was suddenly knocked back by a powerful explosion. The blast was so strong she had to plunge her sword into the ground to prevent falling onto her butt. Gray freezed his legs and the ground beneath him to keep himself from getting blown away, as Lucy tightly hugged his leg, both of them staying in their positions. When the dust finally went down, Erza squinted and to her shock, she noticed Salamander with one of his knees on the ground. He was panting heavily, as his cloak fell off his shoulders, ripped beyond recognition. His dark-blue bandanna started to change color into dark scarlet, as drops of blood fell on top of his bandaged hand, which he used to support himself.

Salamander tried to get up, only to be interrupted by another sneak attack.

 ** _WATER LOCK!_**

A huge ball of water surrounded the fire mage, catching him by suprise, as he struggled to breathe. Seeing this as a golden opportunity, Gray quickly froze the water along with Salamander, locking him in an ice prison.

Erza simply stood there and watched how easily he was caught. More suprised than glad, she turned around and looked up to the rooftop, where three figures were standing.

"What the hell are you all doing here?" the knight asked.

New trio jumped down, letting Gray and Lucy to get a better look at them.

"Mira! Juvia, Gajeel!" gasped Lucy in relief, finally feeling strong enough to stand up. Gray sighed in relief as well, lossening his body up.

"Let's just say Gramps doesn't trust you enough." chuckled Gajeel, as he crossed his arms on his chest.

"Sure, tincan, keep dreaming." retorted Gray in mocking voice.

"Wanna go, ice fart?"

"Huh?!"

"Gray-sama, that was a splendid display of teamwork!" thrown in Juvia, getting inbetween the men, as they were already getting ready to fight.

"Yeah, sure. Ok."

Erza watched her friends bicker, as the air around them started to loosen up. All that tension from a minute ago was completely gone, allowing the redhead to finally take a deep breath. She then faced a demon looking white-haired girl that was walking towards her.

"How did you find us, Mira?"

Mira released her form and walked past Erza, not responding at first, irritating the Reequip mage. Mira simply walked up to Lucy and slapped her butt, making the blonde yelp in suprise. The TakeOver mage then removed her hand from Lucy's bottom and showed Erza her open palm, with something small lying in the center.

"Lacrima tracker. Master put it on you before you left." Mirajane explained shortly. "He planned on sending even more people, but we assured him we're enough. Though if I were you, I'd expect Laxus to catch up to us pretty soon."

"But did he really have to put it _there_?" Lucy asked quietly, but no one paid attention to her.

"So, now what?" asked Gray, as he walked up to the women with Juvia hanged around his arm. "Gramps told us to capture him and then wait for him. Do we take this guy to the guild?" he pointed at frozen Salamander.

"No. This thing is also a communicator. By pressing this button, Master will know it's his turn to step in." Mira responded, pressing the button in the meantime. "So now we wait."

"You know, the way Gramps hyped this guy up, I was expecting something exciting." Gajeel whined, dissatisfied with not getting a part in taking Salamander down.

"Um, guys..?" thrown in Lucy, her voice shaky.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Gajeel." scolded him Erza, ignoring Lucy. "We just got lucky, that's all."

"Guys..."

" _We?_ You didn't do shit, fatass." mocked her Mira, giving Erza an angry tick.

"What did you say, you slut?!"

"Huh?!"

"GUYS!" yelled Lucy.

"What?!" asked her friends in unison, irritated by her screaming.

Lucy then pointed her finger behind them, her face overtaken with pure terror. Erza turned around, only to feel her eyes widen in shock as well.

The ice around Salamander began to crack. All 6 Fairy Tail mages watched as more cracks appeared on its surface, with more and more magical power getting out of the prison. Gray quickly joined his hands together, trying to fix the damage, but he was too late, as Salamander burst his prison open, sending sharp pieces of ice flying in every direction, as they plunged themselves into the ground, walls and flied into the now dark sky. Young mages watched him, as he panted heavily, his back turned in their direction. Taking a deep breath, the fire mage slowly turned around to face them. Erza once again Reequipped a sword, and in the corner of her eye she saw Gajeel transform his arm into an iron club.

Suddenly, gravity increased around them, suffocating Lucy once again, as she dropped to the ground even harder than before. Salamander released his magical power upon them, filling them all with terror - now even Erza felt sick. Despite having different thoughts and understandings of the situation, they all understood one thing - he was furious.

Salamander reached towards his mouth, making Mira quickly transform into her **Satan Soul** form. Fairy Tail mages put up their guards, anticipating his attack. Forcing herself to stand up and despite fear crawling all over her body, Lucy reached to her belt, unlocking her key bag, reading herself to fight. This time, there was no other way around it.

Salamander put his hand on his scarf and pulled it down, revealing his mouth. He then exhaled loudly and leaned back, inhaling as much air as possible, his magical power rising in the process.

"What the hell is he doing?!" asked Gray, watching him in confusion.

"Nothing pleasant, I'll tell you that." hissed Mira, reading herself to counterattack.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S..._**

Gajeel's eyes widened in pure terror, as his enhanced hearing allowed him to catch Salamander's words.

"You've got to be shitting me..." he muttered in shock, earning suprised looks from his friends.

 ** _ROAR!_**

A stream of destructive, almost purging fire came out of Salamander's mouth, coming towards Fairy Tail mages, catching them by suprise, as it burned everything on its path.

A gigantic explosion shook the entire village, as fire consumed the entire street, burning everything it touched. Salamander panted lightly, putting his scarf back on its place. He squinted his eyes, looking in his target's direction, as something was happening inside of the flames. Suddenly, his flames were cut in half, as a redhaired knight sliced it with her sword, much to Salamander's shock.

Shards of ice fell onto the ground, as remains of Gray's last minute ice shield shattered upon impact like a thin layer of ice on a puddle. However this bought enough time to allow Erza to Reequip into her **Flame Empress Armor.**

Erza lowered her sword, looking at her shaking arm. The sheer force of that attack was so great it left her arm numb, despite her 50% immunity to fire. Gripping her sword tighter and getting rid of the shaking, she looked behind her to check up on her friends.

"Are you alright?" she asked them, getting a thumbs up from Mira and Gray. Gajeel, on the other hand just stared at Salamander, dumbfound.

"You've gotta be shitting me..." he repeated, this time more angry than scared.

"What are you talking about, tincan?!" asked irritated Gray inbetween his breaths.

"He's no damn Fire Mage." gritted Gajeel. "He's a fucking Dragon Slayer. A Fire Dragon Slayer."

They all looked at him, suprised by his words.

"Dragon Slayer? You mean like you, Laxus and Wendy?" asked him Mira, shifting her gaze onto immobile Salamander.

He simply nodded. Erza looked at the man in front of her, thinking of their next move. They definitely needed numbers, however this portrayal of strenght was enough to make up her mind - he was not an opponent Lucy could possibly fight against. Not yet.

"Lucy, Juvia!" said girls looked at the knight. "Both of you go into the guildhall and head downstairs. If what's he's telling is true, you'll find kidnapped women in there. Make sure they're safe and don't come out until we're done here. We can't put them in danger." she ordered them.

Juvia nodded and grabbed Lucy by the arm, pulling her towards the ruins. As Erza expected, Salamander ignored them and focused on 4 mages standing before him.

"We're doing this together, understood?" Erza asked her guildmates, receiving approving nods from all of them. Salamander positioned himself, leaning towards the ground, ready to attack.

"On my signal." whispered Erza, as Salamander flexed his legs, ready to dash.

"NOW!" she yelled, as all five mages launched themselves from their positions.

The hardest fight of their lives has just begun.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 1. To be continued in Chapter 2 "Two Elements."**

 **Sooo...there you go. Chapter 1 - done! I'm sorry if you quit reading midway out of boredom, I really didn't want to divide this into 4 chapters of nothing but gathering information and dialogue. The plot is "ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" but I'm getting more and more ideas on how to make it more interesting. Also, don't worry, I do not intend on making Natsu a complete edgelord. His choice of clothing and behaviour will be explained in future chapters. I also may have rushed the ending a little bit. I really wanted to avoid describing what sort of damage Natsu's roar did - to get the better understanding of what it looked like, read manga chapters where he faced 1,000,000 Alvarez soldiers on his own and launched a Fire Dragon King's Roar, though a slightly weaker version.  
**

 **In case you're confused about the "timeline" - this fic is taking place between Edolas and Tenroujima. Also, Tower of Heaven didn't happen, or should I say - it went down very differently from the main story. Imagine every previous arc, but without Natsu. Except Fantasia. My Laxus didn't turn into an irritating brat. Also, I decided not to kill Lisanna, simply because it was completely stupid of Mashima. That's why Mira is still her rebelious self.**

 **To all the Lucy fans, upset with the way I treated her - this is Lucy before Grimoire Heart. I think we can all agree that back then she wasn't as badass as she is right now. I will focus on making her an actual fighter, not a living fanservice device.**

 **Writing this made me realise how much I suck at dialogues and descriptions. When I wrote this fic down, it looked really cool, but once I had to fill it with dialogue, I died a little inside. Bear with me, I promise I'll get better!**

 **That's it for now. See you next time!**


	2. Two Elements

**Well, here it is. Chapter 2, fresh and warm! This chapter is focused mainly on action. My experience with writing fight scenes is really limited, so do forgive me. I've been practicing by breaking down anime fights onto paper. My latest training session was with Boruto vs Hanabi. I want to get better, so that your reading experience will be much greater and my works easier to read. Without further due, enjoy!**

* * *

"NOW!"

At the exact same time, five mages launched from their positions, dashing forward. Running side by side, Gray and Gajeel rushed together at the rear, with Mirajane being slightly ahead of them and Erza taking the lead. Right in front of them was Salamander, charging at them like a raging bull.

The distance between them was rather big, however it didn't take them long to close it. Just mere meters away from her opponent, Erza positioned her sword near her left hip and kicked the ground as hard as she could, greatly increasing her speed and covering her teammates in dust.

Giving Salamander no time to react, Erza dashed right through him at incredible speed, cutting him across his left breast up to the shoulder. Blood splurged out of the fresh wound, as the force of the strike knocked him off balance, lifting his left leg from the ground as he began to fall onto his back. After a split second of shock, he regained his composure and planted his leg back on the ground. He turned around and grabbed the knight's ankle, locking it in a tight grip. Using brute strength, he swinged her body above his head and smashed her into the ground, knocking wind out of her lungs. He quickly got on top of her and took a swing with his right hand. Erza's eyes widened in shock, as she saw his fist making its way towards her face at incredible speed. Her head, spinning from the crash, and the current lack of oxygen left her unable to defend herself. Seeing there was nothing she could do at the moment, Erza grit her teeth, awaiting the strike.

But it never came. The Dragon Slayer smashed his fist into the ground right next to her face, spliting it in the process. His face was so close to hers, she could actually see his onyx eyes through the narrow gap between his bandanna and scarf. She stared at them, her own eyes wide open. " _He missed on purpose? But...why?_ " she asked herself in thoughts.

"Please, I don't want to fight you. Just let me go." he whispered to her, his voice almost pleading.

"Too late, prick."

Upon hearing this voice, Salamander quickly turned around, only to be nailed by an iron club, as Gajeel smashed his right cheek with incredible strength. The Fire Dragon Slayer's head flied back with unnatural speed and angle, suprising even the Iron Dragon Slayer. " _What the...did it affect him this much_?"

" _It didn't work_." noticed Erza. At the very last moment before impact, Salamander twisted his neck and threw his head back, letting the club slide off his face, reducing the damage to minimum.

Rogue mage quickly twisted his head back to where it was, completely unhurt. He caught Gajeel's extended arm and pulled it towards himself, throwing a long hook with his left hand at the same time. Just before Salamander could land his punch, Erza kicked him in the stomach, knocking him into the air, which loosened his grip around Gajeel's arm, allowing him to snatch it out. Both Fairy Tail mages jumped back, as their opponent landed on his feet few meters away from them. Salamander lowered his arm, with Erza's foot imprinted on his bandages after blocking the blow.

Both parties took a deep breath, staring at each other, not moving an inch. Trying to think of their next move, Erza couldn't focus properly, as one thought clouded her mind.

 _"This man...is strong."_

* * *

Lucy and Juvia entered the now reduced to rubble guildhall. Limp, unconscious bodies of Dragon Claw members laid all over the floor, as those capable of walking escaped the building in haste, some of them dragging their downed comrades towards the exit.

"That man did all of this?" asked Juvia, looking around the place.

"Yes. But for now, let's focus on our job." replied Lucy, her voice still shaking. She found a trapdoor just underneath a fallen pillar. With Taurus' help, she pushed it aside and grabbed the handle, pulling the heavy door upwards, revealing dusted stairs. Thinking to herself that Salamander wasn't lying about the guild having a basement, she and Juvia walked down a couple of stairs, only to feel ground above them shake heavily.

"I think it'd be safer if we closed the door." noticed Juvia, turning around. She grabbed the thick wood and pulled it down, closing the door behind them. It got much darker, the only light sources avaible being torches strapped to the wall, placed every 3 meters away from each other. Lucy grabbed one of them and pulled it out, using it to boost their vision. The stairs led them quite deep under the ground, as finally they could see their end, large door getting bigger with each step. Lucy pulled the door with all her strength, but it didn't even budge. Lightly pushing her aside, Juvia sliced the wood with her water. Lucy kicked the now cut wood with her foot and knocked a large piece down, granting them entrance. Lucy ducked under and walked into the room, only to feel her eyes widen in fear.

The room was seemingly empty, with the only visible object being a thick pipe, as long as the room itself. On this pipe, eight females were hanging, their feet 1 meter above the ground, their hands bound as chains between their cuffs were thrown over pipe, robbing them off any chances of escape. They were all fairly young, some of them not older than Wendy.

Lucy covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes tearing up. Juvia just stood beside her, just as shocked.

"How...how could they do this?" asked Lucy through her tears.

Juvia regained her composure and walked towards the girls. "We have to cut them down. They're not dead, just exausted and weak."

Lucy nodded and summoned Cancer, who helped Juvia cut them down. As he cut through the chains, Juvia caught them with her water, nullifying their fall. She placed them all by nearby wall, setting them in a row. Some of them were covered in bruises, clearly earned for fighting back. They were all underweight, their skin shrivelled up from dehydration.

"This is cruel." stated bluntly Juvia, anger building up inside of her. However her anger was not the first thing she had in mind - Salamander was telling the truth. Just what the hell was going on in here?

Suddenly, the youngest girl twitched, her eyes opening slowly, as Lucy immediately rushed to her side. Upon seeing the women, the girl curled herself up in fear, covering her face with her hands.

"No, please! I'm sorry!" she yelped in horror.

"We're not going to hurt you." said Juvia kindly, smiling to the girl. "We're here to help."

The girl looked at the blue-haired mage in confusion, shifting her gaze to Lucy. The blonde opened her bag and pulled out bottled woter, opening it and lifting it to the girl's mouth.

"Here, drink." she whispered. The girl quickly grabbed the bottle and started to drink with loud and big gulps, as if afraid Lucy will change her mind.

Upon drinking half from the bottle, she dropped her arms, panting heavily.

"You're safe now." said Lucy, putting her hand on top of the girl's head. Tears started to form up in her eyes, as she launched herself into Lucy's arms, sobbing loudly as she grabbed the blonde's blouse. Lucy quickly hugged her back, breaking down as well.

"You're safe now...you're safe.." she repeated, petting the girl's hair.

Tears forming in her eyes as well, Juvia checked on other girls. None of them were responding, as they were in here for far longer than this little girl.

"This is despicable."

Juvia turned around, only to see Lucy's enraged face, as she glared with fury in her teary eyes. "There are no words that can describe this cruelty. How could the Council let this happen?! These people have been begging for help for months! How could they miss something so obvious?!"

Juvia simply frowned, unable to respond to that. It was hard to disagree with the Celestial Mage.

"Let's stay here until they finish. Evacuating these women with these 5 monsters rampaging above is too dangerous." she said to Lucy, receiving a nod in response, the girl crying herself back to sleep in Lucy's arms.

* * *

"This prick.." growled Gajeel, glaring daggers at Salamander, as he and his guildmates stood right next to each other, panting.

They tried to gang up on him, overpowering him with numbers. However he simply dodged their attacks or made them crash into each other, making a 4v1 impossible to pull off.

"We won't get anywhere like this." whispered Erza to her friends, hoping Salamander doesn't hear her. "Instead of attacking him all at once, we'll split into pairs. Me and Mirajane, Gray and Gajeel. We'll be taking turns. It's much easier to coordinate our attacks with one partner, than three. Me and Mira will go first, you two follow up if we get into trouble."

Gray and Gajeel nodded, putting their rivarly aside. It wasn't the first time they had to work together against a foe.

"On my signal." muttered Erza.

Just when Erza readied herself to strike again, something flew right past her, as Mira dashed towards Salamander.

"Mira, wait!" she yelled after her friend, only to be ignored by the Demon. _"This stubborn idiot!"_

She threw a powerful punch to Salamander's face, only to have it blocked, as he raised his left forearm to protect himself. The Demon immediately followed with her left hand, this time going for a hook. But her plans were interrupted, as before she could take a swing, Salamander's fist was centimeters away from her face. Dodging at the last moment, she felt his strike go right past her left ear, wind finding its way into her ear drum. With his arm extended over her head, she immediately followed through, this time throwing a right uppercut, aiming for his chin. Suddenly, she felt her own chin flying upwards, as Salamander kneed her right under her jaw, knocking her body upwards. Not even a second later, he felt his head ring like a bell, as Mirajane retaliated with a right hook to his temple. Both mages stopped for a moment, shaking off the damage. Once they recovered, they stared each other in the eye for a second, before dashing forward with incredible strength, as their forearms crashed, both of them mirroring each other's movements.

An incredible exchange of blows and kicks erupted between the two mages, their movements becoming almost a blur, neither giving the other even a moment of rest, with the Dragon Slayer's flames appearing seemingly out of nowhere, both from his missed and landed attacks.

"Shit, I don't see any openings." gritted Gajeel through his teeth, watching the two mages slug it out.

"Neither do I." growled Gray, angry at his lack of commitment to the fight. "Still, they're both incredible, I can't even follow their movements."

"Me too." admitted Gajeel under his nose, his anger rising.

Suddenly, Salamander's head was blown back, as the white-haired mage landed a right straight to his jaw. However, he quickly answered back by connecting an uppercut into her stomach, making her cough up some spit. After that, they resumed the exchange, their movements once again becoming unreadable.

"She's doing it! She can take him down!" cheered Gray, as watching his friend put up a fight against a guy he thought was unbeatable filled him with confidence.

"Wrong."

Both Gajeel and Gray looked at Erza in suprise, as she stared at the fight with a frown glued to her face.

Being stronger than the males, she had much more insight into the situation. Although she had to admit she was suprised with her rival's skills, she knew it wasn't enough. Despite putting up a great fight, Mirajane was receiving more hits than he was. Her **Satan Soul** was a powerful and tough form, but in terms of toughness, this man was on another level. She looked at her sword, gripping it tightly as she remembered the feeling she felt when she cut him - despite putting alot of strength behind that slash, the cut she gave him was shallow. Dragon Slayers were known for their tough bodies, necessary to contain their destructive magic. Back when they used to spar, Laxus would catch attacks from her weaker armors with his bare hands, despite being her equal. Even if Mira was tough, sooner or later her body will give in, leaving her at his mercy. Stepping in to help her was currently out of the question. Despite having his hands full with Mira, the Dragon Slayer was paying attention to other three mages, positioning himself in a way that prevented them from helping their friend. He clearly had alot of experience in fighting multiple opponents at once. Cursing her powerlessness, she gripped her sword so hard her knucles hurt and focused on the fight, readying herself to jump in at first chance.

"I hate to say it, but there's nothing we can do now. If we attack him, there's a chance we will hit Mira." she told her friends through her teeth. "For now, we must forget the plan and place our trust in her. As soon as there's an opening, we're going in."

Both males nodded, waiting for their chance to jump in.

Erza's prediction came true, as Mirajane's movements started to rapidly drop in speed, as now she couldn't land a single hit. Salamander, on the other hand, started landing more hits, injuring the Demon even further. He swiftly dodged her right kick by sidestepping to his left and nailed her with his right elbow, bloodying her nose and knocking her back in the process. Mirajane shook her head to clear her nostrills from blood and dashed forward, throwing an extended left straight. Dragon Slayer dodged it, slipping his head to his left.

Erza's eyes widened upon seeing this. What he just did was a common mistake, as he placed his head in the opposite direction of where it should be, right in the middle of Mirajane's space, giving her a perfect chance to stike. Did he have a plan...?

With Mirajane's arm still over his right ear, Salamander swinged his right arm above hers, aiming his cross counter at her unguarded temple.

Erza's eyes widened in shock: if that hits her, it's over. She had no way of blocking it, this scenario was just perfect for him. Fear growing inside of her chest, the knight felt her feet leave the ground against her will, rushing towards her friend.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks, as she witnessed the Dragon Slayer's punch being stopped - Mira bent her elbow and locked it into Salamander's, killing his punch. His eyes widened in suprise, as he pushed his arm forward in vain. Keeping his right arm locked, the Demon raised her free arm, ready to strike back.

" _You're mine!_ " she thought, her fist mere centimeters away from his unguarded jaw.

Salamander raised his left arm, putting up a guard. He then arched his back, narrowing his figure in the process and pushed his locked arm towards Mira's face. Despite using the exact same amount of strength she used to lock his arm, Mira was unable to contain his sudden growth in power, as he smashed his fist into her left cheekbone, knocking her body back in the process, as her lip and nose left rivers of blood in the air.

"What the hell?!" yelled Gray, shocked. "How?! She had him!"

For a moment, Erza forgot this man was an enemy, as she couldn't help but find this move amazing. When he threw that wide swing earlier, his left side was completely unguarded, as his left arm was around his waist. This extended his chest muscles, not allowing him to draw in their full power. By putting up his guard up and arching his back, he narrowed his muscles, giving himself a tremendous boost in power, allowing him to easily bypass Mira's block.

Mirajane, seemingly knocked out, suddenly put up her hand, placing it right in front of Salamander's face.

 ** _EVIL EXPLOSION!_**

The attack hit him point blank, as both his and the Demon's bodies have been blown back by its force. Mirajane flipped in the air and landed on her side, rolling on the ground, seemingly out of comission. Salamander, on the other hand, landed on his back, sliding on the ground. As he finally stopped, he turned around onto his stomach, and pushed his knees under his torso, trying to get up. Upon succeeding, he straightened himself up, looking at the ground and panting heavily, as blood dripped onto the ground from his fresh head wound. His bandanna was blown away and his scarf slid onto his neck, leaving his face exposed. Grimacing from pain, he turned around to face Fairy Tail mages, revealing his covered in blood face and pink hair.

 _ **ICE MAKE: WARHAMMER!**_

Not giving him a chance to recover, Gray joined the battle, smashing his ice weapon into fire mage's torso. His attack was blocked, as the Dragon Slayer crossed his arms on his stomach at the last moment, reducing the damage. Igniting his fists, he smashed the hammer like glass, stepping in towards the ice mage, ready to strike back. However Gray was ready, and as soon as Salamander stepped in, he was met with an ice spear making its way straight towards his face. Barely dodging, the spear grazed his cheek, leaving a small cut. Continuing his dash, he closed the distance between him and Gray and pulled his arm back, ready to strike.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S..._**

Salamander's head was blown back once again, as covered in iron scales Gajeel nailed an iron club into his right temple. Losing balance, he was forced to run in an awkward way to prevent his body from falling onto the ground. Just when he regained his footing and turned back around, he found two mages throwing themselves at him with their fists, Gray's covered in ice, forming hardened gloves. A wild exchange of punches, kicks and blocking erupted between the trio, as ice, fire and pieces of iron splashed all over the area. Fairy Tail mages were pressing the Dragon Slayer hard, not giving him a chance to strike back, forcing him to block and dodge their attacks.

Gajeel turned his right arm into a sword and slashed horizontally at Salamander, making him lean backwards at a ridiculous angle. He didn't get to recover from this position, as he found Gray right above him, smashing his ice fists like a hammer into his chest, crashing him into the ground. Feeling air leave his lungs, Salamander looked up, only to see both of his opponents right above him, pulling their arms back and ready to strike. In one quick motion, he lit his legs on fire, brought his knees to his chest and kicked upwards, his feet planting themselves under both men's chins, knocking them upwards. Shifting his weight backwards, he landed on all fours and watched as Gray and Gajeel landed on their feet, blood dripping from their lips, inside of their mouths cut.

Salamander quickly launched himself towards them, catching them off guard. He closed in to Gray and put his open palm on the man's bare chest.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!_**

Gray's body was blown away by an explosion of fire, severely burning him in the process, as he crashed into a nearby house. Using this as a chance, Gajeel attacked Salamander from the side, seemingly blindsiding the rogue mage..

 _ **IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!**_

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!**_

Ground split beneath them, as both Dragon Slayers smashed their fists against each other. Flames and shards of iron shot into the air, as both men grit their teeth, neither budging an inch. Suddenly, Gajeel felt himself being pushed backwards, as his scales began to break under pressure of Salamander's strength. Gritting his teeth in pain, Gajeel threw another punch with his left fist, only to have Salamander smash into it with his right hand. Unable to completely overpower each other like this, both men interwinted their fingers, pressing against each other at full strength. Roaring furiously, both men began a power struggle, their feet sinking deeper and deeprer into the ground. Gajeel felt every muscle in his body tense up in response to his opponent's power. He felt himself push Salamander back, as the fire mage took a short step backwards. Feeling that, Salamander lit his whole body on fire, gripping Iron Dragon Slayer's hands even harder, cracking his scales. Growling in pain, Gajeel felt his knees slowly shifting towards the ground under Salamander's strength, his scales cracking even further with each second. Knowing that he will lose this power struggle, Gajeel puffed his cheeks out, ready to launch his attack point blank.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S..._**

Gajeel's head was blown upwards, as Salamander delivered a powerful kick under his chin, stopping his roar before it got out of his mouth. Gajeel started to fall backwards, as Salamander let go of his damaged hands, scales falling off his body, revealing his bruised palms. Fire Dragon Slayer let his opponent fall to the ground, not attacking him any further. Panting heavily, he kept his eyes on his downed opponent.

He didn't get to rest for long, as the last thing his eyes registered before his body instinctively dodged, was an edge of a red sword making its way towards his face - Erza used the opportunity to catch him off guard, slashing at him with incredible strength. Salamander jumped back, breathing loudly as damage he received up until this point was starting to build up. Not giving him a chance to recover, the knight quickly dashed towards him, expecting him to jump back once again. At this point, tiring him out was the wisest choice. To her suprise, instead of juimping back, he stepped in, quickly closing the distance between them. He smashed his left shoulder into her figure, rendering her unable to strike with her sword. Pressing against her, Salamander quickly rotated his body and despite mere centimeters between them, he delivered a powerful punch to her left side, slightly denting her armor.

Erza gasped, feeling dull pain take over left side of her stomach. Feeling this position was too dangerous for her, she jumped back, creating distance betwen them. However as soon as her feet touched the ground, Salamander dashed again, smashing himself against her body yet again. This time, however, he immediately followed through with another body blow, hitting the same place as before, denting the armor even further, drilling it into her body. Erza grimaced in pain, as she lifted her sword arm and brought it down onto his back, smashing it with her sword handle, immediately jumping backwards afterwards.

 _"Closing in against a long ranged weapon...a wise choice."_ she praised him in her thoughts, clutching her aching stomach as she panted lightly. _"He's not giving me enough time to get in position. He already figured out this armor restrains his flames, so instead of using them, he focuses his magic into his fists, boosting his physical strength. This armor does not grant me enough speed to retreat safely. Changing out of it would be my best option. However, if I Reequip into another armor, I may have problems with his fire..."_

Salamander used this chance to regain his breath, staring at Erza with his eyes half open. He was definitely reaching his limit, his body getting heavier and heavier with each minute

Regaining her breath, Erza took a fighting stance, thinking about her next move. Salamander's strength was a testimony of pure training and experience. Despite being an enemy, she couldn't help but respect this person. If it's to defeat this powerful foe, she was willing to take a risk.

 _ **REQUIP: HEAVEN'S WHEEL ARMOR!**_

White light covered the redhead's entire body, blinding Salamander. When it faded away, Erza sprunged her wings, as dozens of swords appeared behind her back. Salamander's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the amount of weapons she possessed. He grit his teeth, fighting the pain, as flames once again covered his entire body.

 _"Like I thought, as soon as I changed into another armor, he unsealed his flames."_ thought Erza. _"I'm ending this, here and now!"_

Requip mage pointed her sword at Salamander, as blades behind her hand began to spin.

"Dance, my bla-"

Just before she could strike, something flew right past her, as Mirajane dashed towards Salamander once again, getting in Erza's line of fire. This time, she used her wings to greatly increase her speed, as she held her hands behind her torso, building up her magic.

Upon seeing the Demon charge him head on, the Dragon Slayer leaned back, puffing his cheeks out. Knowing this position all too well, Erza's eyes widened in terror, as she yelled after her friend.

"Mira, dont!"

 ** _SOUL EXTIN-_**

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Salamander's flames consumed everything on their path, quickly catching up to the white-haired mage. Knowing she doesn't have enough time, she threw her incomplete attack into the flames, causing an explosion mere two meters away from her figure, evading being completely consumed by flames. However that wasn't enough, as the explosion was so powerful it leveled all houses nearby, sprawling them like thin cardboard. Erza struggled to stay in position, her wings not strong enough to fight the wind pressure. A giant cloud of dust has risen where the explosion occured, greatly reducing the knight's field of view.

"Mirajane!" she called after her friend in despair. Being closest to the blast, she was in grave danger..

Suddenly something flew out of the dust, as Mirajane's limp body, still in her demon form, crashed into nearby ruins. Erza wanted to go to her friend, however she could still sense Salamander's magical power, meaning he was not defeated just yet. She shifted her attention at the dust cloud, her opponent still behind it. This turned out to be a good decision, her eye spotting movement in the smoke, as Salamander dashed towards her with incredible speed. This speed suprised her, as she only had enough time to send three swords his way, only for him to duck right under them.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

Closing the distance, he delivered a powerful punch to her unguarded stomach. Erza coughed up some blood, as Salamander sent her flying right into the last remaining building in the alley, crashing it down in the process.

Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes in exaustion, his head wound constantly oozing blood, weakening him. His ear twitched, as he heard footsteps behind him. Quickly turning around, he noticed Gray and Gajeel running towards him. Fear grasping his chest, he tried to back up, in hopes of buying at least couple more seconds of rest. His plan failed however, as he couldn't bring his feet up. Looking down, his eyes widened in terror, as he noticed ice covering his legs up to his knees, sprawling all over the ground. With no time to break out, he braced himself for impact.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!_**

Gajeel launched 7 sharp iron spears in the fire mage's direction. Unable to dodge, he put up his arms, as the blades plunged themselves in his flesh, two blocked by his forearms, and one hitting his right shoulder. Fourth grazed his left thigh, as three remaining spears missed their target. Setting his feet on fire and flexing his arms, Salamander broke the ice around his legs and pushed the blades out of his body simultaneously. He then grabbed the blade still sitting in his shoulder and pulled it out in one, swift movement. This cost him dearly, as he failed to notice charging Gray, who smashed Salamander in the face with his ice gauntlet, staggering the Dragon Slayer.

Salamander took couple steps back, his vision blurry, as Gray's attack messed up his nose. With tears in his eyes he shifted his gaze back onto his opponents, only to see them right in front of his face yet again.

 ** _ICE MAKE: GAUNTLET!_**

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!_**

Fairy Tail mages planted their fists deep into Salamander's stomach, making the man cough up alot of blood, blowing him back in the process. He remained on his feet, sliding on the ground, however his body buckled over, blood dripping onto the ground from his open mouth. Seeing this as a golden opportunity to finish him off, both males dashed once again, reading up exact same attacks they used a second ago.

Suddenly, Salamander started to loudly breath through his gritted teeth, almost growling. He quickly shot his head up, his covered in blood face twisted with pure fury, his eyes still alive. He stepped in towards Fairy Tail mages, and delivered a swift and powerful punch right under Gajeel's left ear, roaring like an animal. Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes covered with mist, as he fell onto his face, rocked. Just when Salamander was about to counter Gray as well, beaten up Mirajane sneaked up on him from behind, locking him in a nelson.

"Now, Gray!" she yelled struggling to keep the rampaging Dragon Slayer in her grip. "Take him down!"

Before Gray could attack immobile Salamander, the fire mage jumped backwards, with Mirajane still strapped to his back. Leaning towards the ground, he put up his legs and ignitted them on fire. Turning his feet into thrusters, Salamander crashed himself and Mira into the ground, with enough force to split the surface beneath them. TakeOver mage gasped loudly, all the remaining air she had escaping her body, her eyes losing their focus, as her mind faded into unconsciousness. Dropping out of her **Satan Soul** , her grip loosened, allowing the Dragon Slayer to get back up and turn around, his hand ready to strike.

"Don't!" yelled Gray, rushing to help his friend. And to his shock, Salamander complied. Upon seeing the woman's defeated figure, he stopped his attack mid-way through, freezing in place. After a moment, he turned around to face the ice mage, ready to fight him. But once again, that's not what his eyes found.

In her **Flight Armor** , Erza crashed into Salamander, kicking his chest with both legs, sending him flying. Trying to stop himself, he planted his fingers into the ground, leaving claw-like marks on its surface, his shoulders crying from pain. This allowed him to stop himself from crashing, as he stopped just in front of ruins of a house. Hearing something making its way towards him, he quickly shot his head up, only to see a furious knight staring him down.

 ** _REQUIP!_** she yelled, white light covering her figure once again, blinding Salamander. Once she stopped changing into another armor, he opened his eyes, only to feel them widen in pure terror, fear reaching every inch of his body.

 ** _PURGATORY ARMOR!_**

As soon as she Requipped, Erza brought down her spiked mace into Salamander. He quickly crossed his arms over his head, igniting them on fire, catching the blow with his already damaged forearms. The strength of this strike was so great it drilled his feet into the ground, as he yelled out loudly in pain, feeling his bones crack.

Erza's eyes widened in suprise, shocked that he managed to block this strike. Gripping her weapon even tighter, she pressed harder, grinding him into the ground even further, as his knees started to buckle.

 _"With this, I will end it!"_ she shouted in her thoughts, gritting her teeth as veins popped on her forehead, blood flowing down her face from her wound, very similiar to Salamander's. She pushed down with all her strength, bending the Dragon Slayer like a pocket knife, as his muscles cried out in agony. With his knees mere centimeters away from the ground, he suddenly roared furiously, his magical power rising, as flames once again covered his entire body. In one, powerful move, he used remaining strength of his entire body, shooting himself up and shaking Erza's attack off in the process. Blood splurged all around him, his torn, bloodied bandages falling onto the ground, sliding off his purple and swollen skin, as he knocked Erza's mace out of her palms, launching it into the air.

Erza shook off her shock almost immediately, as she stepped towards him, delivering a powerful kick to his neck. Salamander's body was knocked to his right, as he extended his right leg, preventing himself from falling. He faced Erza, ready to strike back, only to get punched in the exact same spot once again. His body bowed to the knight, his ears ringing, as black curtain started to cover his eyes. With barely any strength left in him, he lifted his head upwards, trying to attack her back.

Erza raised her arms above her head, grabbing her left hand with her right, and brought them down onto the back of Dragon Slayer's head, crashing into it with enormous force. His legs buckled under the weight of this blow, as he was now kneeling on the ground in front of the knight. As he pathetically tried to get up, Erza repeated the motion and crashed into the back of his head once again, creating a small crater beneath them. With just his right hand and left knee preventing him from falling, Salamander still tried to get up, unable to lift his own body weight. Roaring loudly from anger and pain, Erza lifted her right leg as high as she could, and brought it down onto his head, stomping him into the ground. Panting heavily, she raised her leg once again, ready to kick him for the second time.

"Erza, stop!" someone called out to her. "He's had enough!"

Breathing loudly, Erza looked in direction of the voice, noticing Gray, as he stared at her with fear written all over his face. But he wasn't afraid of Salamander - he was afraid of her. Looking down, she felt her eyes widen.

Salamander stopped moving, his figure grinded into the ground, as he laid unconscious by Erza's feet. Breathing loudly, she was slowly calming herself down, adrenaline wearing off, the weight of what she's just done starting to weigh in on her. Her eyes teared up as she looked at her armored hands, covered in the fire mage's blood, guilt and disguist clutching her heart - she actually tried to kill this man. She looked to her right, where Gray was, as he just stood there, his shocked eyes still glued to her figure. Unable to look him in the eye, she shook her head to the side, Requipping back into her **Heart Kreuz Armor** , making her way to check up on her friends. Memories she tried to seal away resurfaced yet again - she had to keep herself busy to swat them away.

Gajeel was already back on his feet, although staggering and tripping. Making his way towards Erza and Gray, he waved his hand as a sign of "I'm ok." Mirajane was right where she was, still unconscious. Her body was covered in burns, bruises and cuts. Without doubt she took the biggest punishment, engaging Salamander on her own, the wounds she inflicted on his body being a key to his defeat.

"Gajeel, can you...?" Erza asked the Dragon Slayer, her eyes glued to the ground, pointing at beaten Salamander with her thumb.

"Yeah." he muttered, passing her as he dropped onto his ass right next to Salamander and started to wrap him around in iron bars.

While Gajeel was restraining the rogue mage, Erza wiped her eyes off and looked around. The village was basically destroyed. More than half buildings have been leveled with the ground, and the remaining houses were heavily damaged. Dragon Claw's guildhall was now a complete ruin, thick trapdoor to the basement locked tightly, with Lucy, Juvia and the kidnapped women inside. With no bodies to be seen, Erza figured out the villagers and beaten guild members evacuated the village as soon as the fight started. Since the mayor knew Blackhill would become a battleground, he definitely must have had a contingency plan.

Gajeel finished restraining Salamander, as he wrapped him from his collarbones to his hips in iron bars. He pushed the beaten rogue mage upwards, making him sit on the ground, his limp head hanging above the soil.

Looking around, Gray walked up to Erza, clutching his aching arm.

"I'm glad you told Lucy and Juvia to hide." he told her. "This was just messed up."

"No shit." growled Gajeel, limping in their direction. "Punk had way too much energy. I'm suprised he's even breathing after a beating like that."

Erza simply bit her lip in response. She did it again. She broke her promise to Master. Her friends definitely were not in mortal danger - despite everything they did to him, Salamander was not fighting to kill. She couldn't blame him for hurting her friends, even if she wanted to - they have attacked him. Hating him for defending himself would not only be stupid, but it'd make her a hypocrite. And yet when he struck her, when she saw blood leave her mouth, and a red curtain cover her right eye, _that_ eye, her nightmares resurfaced, as she snapped. She tried to kill an already defeated opponent.

Erza grabbed her arms, hugging herself, as the thought of Gray not being there to stop her made her body shiver.

"I say we wait for Gramps." said Gray, him and Gajeel discussing their next move. "The villagers have evacuated, and Lucy and Juvia are safe. There's nothing we can do more."

"I guess." retorted Gajeel, massaging his aching jaw. "Can't you use your ice on her? She's the main reason we took this bastard down." he asked, pointing at Mira with his thumb.

"A good idea from tincan? Did that guy knock some sense into that thick head of yours?" asked him mockingly Gray, raising his eyebrows.

"Screw you. I'm too tired to deal with your shit." sighed the Dragon Slayer. "What do you think Old Man's planning to do with him?" he asked Erza, only to be ignored.

"Probably lock him up in the guild. I still don't know why he wants to talk to this guy, he's just another-"

Gray stopped talking as he stared at something, his eyes widening in terror. "You're fucking kidding me, right?" he asked no one in particular in low voice.

Gajeel noticed that and turned around, his eyes shooting open as well. Erza was too lost in her thoughts to notice, and only Gajeel's yell shook her up.

"TITANIA!"

Redhead's head quickly turned around in his direction, waking her up. Before she could ask her friends what was wrong, she already knew the answer, immediately Requipping a sword.

Salamander stood up from his spot, still bound. He breathed through his teeth loudly, making animal-like sounds, as blood dripped from his open mouth onto the ground. His eyes were focused on the trio, fire crawling out of his skin, as he covered his entire figure in flames. His restraints began to crack, as he tried to force his way out.

"On my signal! He's too weak to fight back! This time, we-" Erza's orders were interrupted, as Salamander destroyed lower bars clutching his body, sending pieces of metal flying in all directions. He panted heavily, his body still covered in flames, as he tried to get rid of remaining restraints.

Gray rushed towards the rogue mage, smashing his fist into his open palm.

"Gray, wait!" Erza yelled after him.

"He's so weak he will go down from a push! I can freeze him in place and knock him out!" he screamed back, icy mist covering his body.

But he was too late. With one last push, Salamander broke through remaining iron bars surrounding his figure, as they fell to the ground with a loud thud. His flames not burning out, he breathed deeply. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he roared into the night sky. It was so loud, Gajeel's head felt like it was going to split, and even Erza had to cover her ears, grunting from pain. It wasn't a human scream - it sounded like a cornered animal, who had nothing to lose.

Salamander's roar came to an end, along with his flame cloak, making Fairy Tail mages think he had finally burned out. But not even two seconds later, his body blew up, with an aura even bigger than before tugging around his figure, as a cloak of flames and lightning covered his body entirely. Roaring loudly once again, he launched himself towards Gray at inhuman speed, backfisting the raven-haired mage into his liver, immediately knocking him out. Gray's body was sent flying to the side, as he crushed into rubble.

"Impossible..." whispered terrified Gajeel, witnessing his guildmate being blown away like a fly.

Salamander inhaled his elemental cloak back into his mouth, puffing his cheeks, as he leaned back.

 ** _LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

A tornado of fire and lightning launched itself of his mouth, reducing the ground beneath into nothing. Gajeel simply sat there and watched death approach him, not even budging to run, or defend himself.

Salamander's roar made contact, as it splattered all around the village - Erza Requipped into her **Adamantine Armor** and got in front of Gajeel, protecting both him and Mirajane from the blast. The knight's feet planted themselves deep into the ground, as she used everything she had to push against this powerful attack.

 _"No, not yet! I won't give up!"_ she encouraged herself, as she felt her shields crack from the pressure.

After couple more seconds of struggle, Salamander's attack died down. Before it dispelled, it shattered Erza's shields into tiny pieces, blowing her gaunlets up as well. Sharp pieces of metal planted themselves deep into her now exposed skin, as she dropped to her knees. Panting heavily and her eyes tearing up from the pain, she laid her limp, destroyed arms on her lap. Forcing herself, she lifted her head up and looked at Fire Dragon Slayer with her teary eyes, awaiting his next move. He just stood there, exausted, his magic barely above zero. Fury leaving his eyes, he looked at his shaking hands. He then looked back at Erza, meeting her gaze.

The knight's eyes widened, as she noticed his eyes, overtaken by guilt. The previously animal-like orbs were gone, replaced with teary, onyx eyes. They stared at each other for just a few seconds, but to them, it felt like hours. Pink rivers ran down his cheeks, as he mouthed something to the redhead, before a wall of flames appeared before his body. Once it dispelled, Salamander was nowhere to be found, as he retreated.

Erza brought her head down and leaned her body towards the ground, meeting it with her forehead.

Lucy and Juvia came out of the basement, which was suprisingly close to their friends location. Both women shot their eyes wide open in shock upon seeing the state the village was in. Celestial Mage then caught her teammates with her eyes, and immediately rushed towards them. Noticing the state Mirajane was in, she ran up to the downed mage and called out to her worringly, taking in the extent of her injuries.

Erza's body started to shake hardly every few seconds, as she could no longer contain her pent up emotions. She had reached her limit, everything flowing out at once, as she just sobbed to herself out of frustration, guilt, pain, anger and confusion.

Today, in this place, they have lost.

* * *

An hour later, both Rune Knights and Fairy Tail reinforcements have arrived. Makarov brought along Wendy, Levy, Elfman and Lisanna. Upon arriving, both parties didn't even know where to start. Lahar split his forces into 5 groups, sending two medics with each of them. One group went after Salamander, another accompanied Lucy and Juvia downstairs, third patched up and arrested present Dragon Claw members, fourth protected evacuated villagers, and fifth stayed with Fairy Tail mages. Wendy immediately ran towards Erza and her heavily damaged hands, but the redhead sent her to Mirajane instead, as her injuries were much more lethal. She herself settled in with a Council medic, who, after patching her head up, carefully pulled shards of metal from her arms. While receiving treatment, she told everything that happened to Makarov, with Lahar standing nearby.

Makarov sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. Cursing his incompetence, he walked up to Erza and placed his hand on her armored shoulder.

"I'm sorry, my child. I've forced a far too heavy burned onto your shoulders." he whispered sorrowly, unable to look her in the eye.

"Please, raise your head, Master." she asked him. "We came here prepared. None of us regrets being here today."

Erza grimaced, as the medic pulled out the last piece of her armor, cleaning her arms from blood.

"I hope you're prepared to face the consequences, Makarov-dono." said Lahar, looking at the elder from behind his glasses. "As grateful as we are for exposing Dragon Claw, you have officially broken the Council's laws. A trial is inevidable."

"I'm well aware of this fact." answered Makarov through his teeth.

Erza frowned, watching her hands being stitched up. She looked to her right, where Wendy was healing Mirajane, Upon seeing his big sister in this state, Elfman snapped and they barely managed to keep him away from chasing after the Dragon Slayer. Now, he was sitting right beside Mira, holding her hand in his own, as Wendy has already dealt with majority of her wounds. Gray and Gajeel were fine, with no major injuries on their bodies. Their pride, however, was a different matter.

Gajeel was just sitting on the ground, his hands and head covered in bandages, as Levy gave him first aid(much to his annoyance) and some iron to regain his strength. He wasn't listening to the bookworm, who was sitting right next to him worried, as he just stared at his hands with a scowl glued to his face.

"...are you listening, Gajeel?" asked him Levy for the third time.

He ignored her and looking at Makarov, he asked. "Can we go back already?"

Makarov didn't answer him, looking at Lahar questionably. Lahar looked around the place for a while, before responding.

"It appears we have dealt with the situation. Truth to be told, I should be bringing you, and your members in for what happened here, but I suppose there's no need for that. We will send an official to inform you of the Council's decision. I think we can all leave for our homes in 30 minutes."

"You heard the man." said Makarov, looking at Gajeel. The Dragon Slayer punched his hand in response.

"Good. There's a certain asshole I have to talk with."

Two soldiers passed them by, leading a chained up mayor towards the prison carriage.

"What is to become of him?" asked Erza, watching the small man.

"He is accused of dealing with criminals and being partly responsible for the destruction of Blackhill Village." responded Lahar.

Erza frowned sadly. She understood his intentions. For those he loved, he decided to reject his personal good and stepped into a dangerous territory. Seeing no guilt or shame in his eyes, she felt slightly better.

Just like Lahar said, 30 minutes later Council carriages have appeared, ready to transport all casualties to safe destinations. Eight kidnapped females have been sent to a hospital, already plugged to IV's. Wendy used up all of her magic, but in exchange, she healed Mirajane to the point where she could walk on her own, although Elfman was more than willing to lend her a shoulder. Her right arm was in an arm sling, cooling bandaids glued to her not yet healed minor burns.

After being patched up, Fairy Tail mages were sent directly to the next train station, all of them sitting in a carriage. Shortly after, they were aboard a train, traveling in complete silence, all of them tired and shaken up. Erza was staring at her bandaged hand, completely spacing out. She lightly made a fist, shifting her gaze onto the window, staring at the red, full moon peeking from behind clouds, as she remembered Salamander's last words to her.

 _"I'm sorry."_

 **To be continued in Chapter 3: Aftermath.**

* * *

 **So...yeah. Before I get any forther into this note, let me point out one, major thing that will be a major key to this story in the future - if you feel like I pulled xomething out of my ass, like giving character too much power, or changed character's behaviour: it will most DEFINITELY be explained in the future. There's only one rule I truly follow in my stories - don't put something in the series, if you can't explain it. If you felt like Natsu should not get out of this, I promise you, you will soon find out what was driving him this far.**

 **To be fair, I'm not satisfied with this chapter. When I was visualising this fight, I was quite impressed with what I cam up with. But putting it on paper was a rather difficult task. It appears I have to just sit down and read a dictionary, as my vocabulary is pathetic, to say the least. I'm really sorry for hundreds of "dashed" and ", as"'s. I'll do my best to get better.  
**

 **If you're wondering why Natsu was so swift at fighting a whole group, and later on kept getting blindsided - head wounds mess you up. Badly. That's also the reason Erza didn't put him down with Purgatory Armor. She was bleeding from her head, just like he was.**

 **Next couple of chapters will be mostly filed with dialogue, as Chapter 3 is where the plot really kicks in. This story is much deeper than it currently seems. Since I struggle with dialogue, next upload make take longer. Expect to see it in 2nd/3rd week of June.**

 **Well, that's it for today. See you later!**


	3. Aftermath

**So, Chapter 3. I've started to read other stories and I'm just overwhelmed at how many great Natza stories there are! I'm currently reading The Fervent Crimson Flame and so far, I'm enjoying it very much. I will definitely be using it to improve my vocabulary, as although I consider myself a capable english speaker, when it comes to writing I'm shallow as a puddle. But, enough about me. I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, let me know your thoughts in reviews and PM's. Have a good read!**

* * *

Two days have passed since the incident in Blackhill Village. Fairy Tail mages have arrived back in Magnolia in the middle of the night, their travel passed in silence. Upon arriving at their destination, Makarov ordered them to not come to the guild for couple days and stay in their homes and focus on recovering. None of them had any strength or will to argue, as they just nodded with depressed faces. Not even a minute later, they all left for their homes, Elfman and Lisanna supporting Mirajane. Erza walked back to her apartment in Fairy Hills, Juvia right next to her. Upon arriving, both women wished each other good night and locked themselves in their rooms.

 **November 20th, Fairy Hills, Magnolia**

Erza stepped out of her shower and walked up to the misty mirror, clearing its surface with her hand. She was met with a tired and pale face, her brown eyes squinted and red, burning from fatigue, with slight bags right under her lower eyelids. She had trouble sleeping for the past two days, as she couldn't calm her mind, questions circling all over her brain. Seeing as sitting in one place for any longer is meaningless, Erza decided to go to the guild, relax and talk to Master about her troubles if possible.

Leaning towards the mirror, she looked at her forehead, the wound she received during the battle neatly closed. There was no need for further treatment, but her hands were a different matter.

Hissing from pain, she undid her bandages, revealing stitched, wounded arms. She let the dirty cloth fall onto the floor, as she rotated her arms before her eyes, examining her injuries. They were healing very well, even if slower than usual, but they'd definitely leave scars, increasing her "collection" even further.

"I think they will fit to each other." she muttered to herself sarcastically, her eyes glued on old, round scars going all around both of her wrists. Spacing out for a while, she shook her head and grabbed fresh bandages, wrapping them around her arms. As she was done wrapping her second arm, with the corner of her eye she noticed something in the mirror.

"Oh. I forgot about this." she whispered, gently sliding her fingers on the left side of her naked stomach where a giant, already yellowish bruise was placed. Never in her life was she more grateful to herself for wearing armor than she was now. The morning after their return, Erza found herself unable to straighten her torso, with the entire left side of her stomach up to her breast covered in a bloody purple bruise. However some rest and ointment allowed Erza to walk properly without clutching her side every couple seconds the next day, and now the pain was almost completely gone.

After treating all of her remaining injuries, Erza dried her hair with a towel, before Requipping into her usual armor. Just as she was walked out of the bathroom, she heard someone knock on her door.

"Erza? May I come in?" asked a voice, which Erza recognized belonged to Juvia.

The redhead crossed her apartment and opened the door, the water mage standing in front of her.

"Can I help you?" Erza asked Juvia, slightly suprised. She rarely had any guests.

"I was about to go to the guild, and I thought we could...go together?" Juvia asked her shyly, unsure of the redhead's mood. The image of crying Erza was still imprinted on her mind.

"I don't see why not. I'm ready to go." Erza smiled in response.

Juvia sighed internally in relief, happily nodding to the redhead. Soon after, they left for the guild

Their walk went by relatively fast, as they engaged each other in a friendly conversation. Both women tried to avoid mentioning the incident, wiling to move on. Before Erza noticed, she was standing in front of the guild, with a curtain of black, long hair disappearing behind the door, as Gajeel entered the building few seconds before her. Taking a deep breath, she put her armored palm on the door and pushed it, entering the guildhall. The guild was quite crowded for such an early hour, with almost all of her friends present in Blackhill sitting by their tables. Well, with the exception of Gajeel, as he spotted someone sitting at the back of the hall and started to quickly walk towards them.

Sensing trouble, Erza simply waved to Gray and Mira without saying a word and followed Gajeel, as he now arrived by Laxus' table.

"We have to talk." Gajeel stated, his tone not leaving any room for negotiation.

Laxus simply looked up at Gajeel with a bored face.

"I'm tired. Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait." he sighed.

"No. It can't." retorted Gajeel, pressing even harder..

"Laxus just came back from a difficult mission. I will not allow you to disturb him any further." said Freed, glaring at Gajeel.

"I'm not talking to you, lackey." answered Gajeel, not looking at Freed who was now standing, outraged. Ignoring him, Gajeel kept his eyes on the blondehaired man, before leaning towards him, putting his injured hands on the table.

"Why didn't you tell me you've encountered a Fire Dragon Slayer?" asked Gajeel, he himself suprised with how calm his own voice was.

Laxus, suprised by the question widened his eyes a little, his previously bored expression replaced by a slight frown.

"Why do you know about this?" he asked in an annoyed voice, clearly not fond of the fact Gajeel found out about it..

"Don't answer a question with a question. Why didn't you tell me? Or the runt?" hissed Iron Dragon Slayer, not in the mood for games.

Laxus just stared at the blackhaired mage, before shifting his head to the side and closing his eyes.

"I'm tired. Piss off."

The entire guild turned their heads around, some of them hurting their necks in the process, as a loud noise echoed across the guildhall. Losing his temper, Gajeel smashed his hands into the table, cracking it heavily. Laxus lazily opened his eyes and looked at the damage, the table in front of him barely holding itself in place. He shifted his gaze onto angry Gajeel and raised his eyebrows.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" he asked him mockingly.

"You know damn well there's not alot of us. Didn't it occur to you that we maybe you should at least tell us he exists? Because if you had just told us, we would have been able to prevent some shit from happening." growled Gajeel, regretting his recent action, his still injured hands pulsing in pain.

"First of all, I don't even know how you found out about that, and second, last time I checked, I'm not obliged to report you what happens during my missions. Mira and Erza don't do it, so why should I? Besides, I wasn't even entirely sure he was a Dragon Slayer." answered Laxus, giving up on ignoring Gajeel. "I've met him. So what? How would you benefit from me telling you? Would something interesting happen?"

Laxus's monologue was interrupted, as Mirajane smashed her left hand into the table, breaking it completely, splinters and pieces of wood flying in all directions, making the nearby guildmembers flee in fear of the Demon's wrath. She wasn't the only one eavesdropping on this conversation, as Erza, Gray and Juvia were now standing right behind Gajeel, looking at Laxus with unpleasant gazes, to say the least.

"Would something happen?! Well, something has already happened, _Laxus-chan."_ Mira hissed through her teeth, glaring daggers at the blondehaired man. "We've almost been killed by this guy, that's what happened."

Laxus' eyes shot open in shock, as he looked at Erza and others, as if expecting them to ensure him it's a joke.

"What?" he asked quietly, directing the question to Erza, who lightly shook her head before responding.

"We were not in grave danger, as Salamander was not planning on killing us. However, we have all received serious injuries, and the village we've been figthing in is now a complete ruin. We've lost that battle."

Laxus lowered his head, gritting his teeth. He did not expect something like this to happen.

"Now that I think about it." thrown in Gray, staring at the Lightning Dragon Slayer with unusual hostility in his eyes. "Three months ago you came back from a job covered in bandages. You refused to talk about this with anyone, even Gramps. Now, I think I know why."

Laxus stared back at Gray, as if warning him to shut his mouth.

"You didn't tell Gajeel about that guy not because you didn't deem it necessary." growled furious Mirajane. "You didn't say anything, because you were embarassed you got your ass handed to you by some random rogue mage."

The Dragon Slayer glared back at Mira, his nerve clearly touched by her statement. "If that's true, then you and Erza should have taken care of him. After all, I was alone and there was two of you. Not to mention I still don't understand why you're so angry about me keeping this guy a secret." he retorted through his teeth.

"Well then, allow me fill you in. Master had entrusted us with capturing this guy for various reasons, some personal, some helpful to the entire country. We tracked him down and almost managed to restrain him, key word being "almost", as thanks to certain _someone_ , he got a major power boost and wiped the floor with us. That's the problem, prick." answered Mirajane, clearly reaching her limit. Laxus looked at her confused, unsure what the woman was implying.

"He's got your powers, Laxus." said grimly Gray, clutching his right side where Salamander struck him. He's never taken a blow this powerful, and that was from a weakened Salamander. If he was at his full strength...

The blonde looked at Gray in shock then quickly shifted his gaze onto Gajeel, seeking confirmation.

"He's right." answered coldly Gajeel. "He's got two elements now - fire and lightning. He used both of them to break free and blow up Titania's hands."

Lightning Dragon Slayer exhaled loudly through his nose and brought up his right hand, clutching the corners of his eyes, massaging them, as he cursed his own stupidity. Letting his pride get in his way was something he's been trying to avoid for years, and yet, when his back was up against the wall, he completely neglected his own rules and because of that, indirectly put his friends in danger.

"Is that even possible?" he asked dryly, directing the question to Gajeel.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" retorted the man. "Up until recently I didn't even know you could turn someone into a Dragon Slayer with a lacrima, then I met you and that prick from Oracion Seiss."

The atmopshere around Laxus' table, or rather its remains, was tense, to say the least. It was difficult not to agree that Laxus' intel might have proven to be useful, or at least made them even more careful, but blaming the man for what happened was just wrong and uncalled for. Fed up with negative emotions so early in the morning, Erza decided to change the subject, hoping her friends pick up the hint.

"Where is Lucy? Is she still at home?" she asked Mira, who was the angriest amongst the company. The woman snapped out of her trance and looked at Erza, her eyes no longer glaring daggers.

"No. She and Wendy went to the hospital, they're visiting those kidnapped girls. Wendy wanted to help them recover." the Demon took the bait, her tone much calmer, as she dropped on a chair right next to Freed, tired after her outburst. Despite Wendy's treatment, she was still weak.

"What about Master? I wish to speak to him."

"Yeah, about that. I wouldn't go there if I were you." thrown in Macao from the nearby table. "About 30 minutes ago a Council Official came by, they're currently in Master's office. Things will get messy, that's for sure."

A moment after Macao's warning, the sound of opening door reached Erza's ears, as the froglike Council member stepped out of Makarov's office.

"I hope I've made myself clear, Saint Dreyar." the man threw in as goodbye, making his way downstairs. Upon reaching their end, his eyes caught Erza.

"I see Miss Scarlet is present. May I trust you to fill her in on the matter at hand?" he asked Makarov, who was now standing by the railing of the second floor.

"Of course." grumbled the Master in response.

"I appreciate it. Now, if you excuse me, I shall be on my way." the Council member bowed in farewell to Makarov and left the guild.

"Erza." called out Makarov, pointing at his office wioth his thumb.

The knight sighed: her supposedly peaceful day was now in complete ruins. She sent an apologizing look to her friends and made her way upstairs. Couple minutes later she found herself sitting in Makarov's office, with a cup of tea Lisanna brought them in her hand, Makarov sipping from his own in front of her.

"I don't think I have to say out loud that we're in trouble." the elder mage started, tapping his cup with his fingers.

"I wouldn't see it any other way." Erza smiled lightly in response, putting her cup down on the desk.

"This time, it's serious. We've been charged of insubordination, violation of Council's laws and property damage. And by "we", I mean you and me."

Erza looked at Makarov in suprise. "May I ask why me specifically? By no means do I wish to bring trouble to the others, as I'm extremely glad I'm the only one being punished, but why just me?"

Makarov snorted and sipped his tea. "You have your past to thank for this." he replied shortly, as the redhead sweatdropped. "We are to be trialed, both of us separately. The only thing I can think of they could charge you for, is property damage."

"Me aside, what will happen to you, Master?" she asked him worringly.

Makarov looked her in the eye for a moment, not answering, which scared the redhead. The elder mage took a big swing of his tea, emptying his cup and replied. "I will probably be stripped off my titles and sentenced to prison."

Erza shot up from her seat, outraged.

"They wouldn't!" she yelled, terror grasping her heart. "What you did is not vile enough to receive such punishment! What will become of Fairy Tail?"

"Disbanded, most likely." Makarov replied grimly, shocking Erza even further.

"The Chairman has changed. He has always been a very strict man, but a reasonable one. Although he was very strict when dealing with law breakers, he always discussed both sides of the coind, sometimes using the good side to be the final nail in his judgement. For the past couple months, however, he appears to be a different man. He no longer hesitates and delivers strict and sometimes even cruel "justice". This whole bounty facade is his idea as well. With the way he is now, I wouldn't be suprised if I was indeed thrown in jail."

Erza dropped onto her seat limply, staring at her gripped hands. This was her fault. If only had she captured Salamander and presented him to the Council, their punishment would certainly not turn out to be as severe.

"Before you start, no, it was not your fault." Makarov put his tiny hand on her armored palm, grabbing it reassuringly. "If anyone's guilty, it's me. But it seems like you're getting the wrong idea, my child."

Erza looked up to meet his eyes, hers filled with confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice dry.

"I never said I was going to comply to their verdict." he grinned to her, puzzling her even more. "If this truly is the end, I may as well use the remaining time we have and go wild for the last time."

"Excuse me?" she asked dumbly.

"I'll tell you everything in time. For the time being, it's a secret." Makarov grinned even wider, before taking his hands off Erza's and dropping from his chair, turning around to face his window, with Erza staring at the back of his head. What could he posibbly be talking about?

"Now then, I want you to tell me what happened there again, in details. I've known you for far too long to not see through that shell." his tone suddenly changed into a more serious one, almost commanding, as he knocked Erza out of her trance.

"It appears I am still too easy to read." she replied, her lips curving themselves into a smile without her knowledge. He truly did have talent at sniffing out lies.

"Years of experience, my child." he snorted in amusement. "Now, out with it."

Erza took a deep, relaxing breath and relayed what was on her mind to the Master. She told him about Troy, the mayor, the incident with Dragon Claw, Mira's assault and all the details of the battle she did not relay to the Council afterwards. Makarov simply listened, not interrupting her. His hunch was right, as Erza's story made much more sense than the one she told the Council. With each sentence, he could feel the girl slightly loosen up, although he could tell she still held something back.

"That's what he said? _I'm sorry_?" he asked her suprised, interrupting her for the first time.

"Yes."

Makarov frowned. From what Erza just said, he had enough power to hold his own against four of his strongest mages, continue fighting despite grevious wounds and still held back a vast portion of his strength. It didn't take a genius to make Makarov realise that he could have easily killed his brats if he wanted to. The very fact he tried to avoid combat and spared Erza and the others even when overtaken by fury went completely against everything he'd been told about this boy.

"Those two days of being locked in my apartment made me question who the true villain really was." the elder mage was knocked out of his thoughts, as Erza interrupted them, smiling grimly with her eyes locked on her hands. "Dragon Claw, Salamander, or us. He appeared to be a reasonable person, despite his reputation. However it was I who jumped to conslusions, let anger cloud my judgement and engaged him in an unnecessary battle, which brought more harm than good. He pleaded to let him go, yet I did not listen. Because of that, Mira can barely walk, Lucy is traumatized and Blackhill is a ruin. I guess I'll never change. I have broken my promise to you."

Makarov looked at the knight, her broken figure sulking in her chair. He walked up to the girl and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Things like this take time." he whispered to her softly. "You've already made great progress, far bigger than I even expected. You have not broken our promise, quite the opposite, you've fulfilled it. The fact you can admit to a mistake is a victory on its own. It takes strength to admit we were wrong, but it's also easy to put too much unnecessary and unjustified blame on our shoulders."

Erza lifted her head, meeting Makarov's kind, old eyes with her brown orbs.

"The way I see it, this boy is just like you, and I know you've realised it on your own as well. You were in a similiar situation not so long ago, with one leg already deep in darkness. Yours was pulled out, buy his is still there, sinking deeper with each day. His actions have become much more repetetive and their impact has increased as well. If we don't hurry, he will reach a point of no return."

Makarov stood up, leaving the knight deep in thoughts.

"I don't know what exactly is in your heart, but I feel like you should meet him once again. And that, you will."

Erza blinked, quitting her spacing out and frowned. "But what about my trial? I can't just leave like that, not to mention I don't even know where to look."

"Yes, you can." Makarov shot back. "Our trials take place on the same day, two days from now, yours an hour before mine. Even if you do not make it in time, I have a plan on how to deal with this and to be completely honest, I hope you don't. You, on the other hand, will move out today and find this boy."

"But I don't know what to do!" she suddenly screamed at the elder man, suprising him a little. All of her remaining, pent up frustration was now spilled onto the elder mage. "What I did to him was despicable. I have completely opposed everything I tried to stand for and reverted to my old ways, even if only for a moment. No words will fix that. Even if I meet him again, what then? I would not be able to look him in the eye, not that he'd even let me. The very moment I pointed my sword in his direction, I've become his enemy!" tears streamed down her face, as she recalled the rage she felt and the image of her armored foot on his head, his broken figure stomped into the surface beneath.

"Then how come you're still here?"

Erza's eyes widened upon hearing this short, simple question.

"Excuse me?" she asked quietly, her voice unpleasantly dry.

"You saw what he does to his enemies first hand. Countless of destroyed Dark Guilds and injured Dark Mages are a proof of that as well. And yet, here you are, well and healthy. Why do you think he spared you and the others? Why do you think he apologized to you, after all that happened? He has an established goal, a line he will not cross and that line would be fighting people he does not consider his enemies. He clearly distinguishes good from evil in his own, twisted way. If you truly wish to confirm your own feelings, find him and confront him about it. In the end, no one knows you better than yourself." the small wizard monologued, sitting back in his chair in the meantime.

"The more I hear about him, the more I realise how similiar you both are. From what I understood, something was driving that boy. Something that allowed him to push his body past absolute limits, to avoid being prevented from fulfilling his goal. Such resolve is always backed up by a strong sense of duty. Do you remember what happened before he broke out of his restraints?"

"Very vaguely. Truth to be told, I wasn't listening, but I know Gray and Gajeel were discussing our next move." she replied, her tone calmer. Makarov's monologue had calmed her troubled mind, even if only a little.

"I see." Makarov sighed, refilling his empty cup with fresh tea. He shot a quick gaze at the knight. Seeing her troubled figure, the elder mage decided not to drill this topic any further.

"It appears I was right. S-Class mages have lost their minds, and two guilds have already been pushed away from the request. Of course, after what happened two days ago, Fairy Tail has also been forbid to hunt Salamander down. That's three guilds out of the picture in just 48 hours. I don't need Gajeel's nose to figure out something smells fishy here."

This sudden change of subject suited Erza, as she straightened herself in her chair. "I agree. This whole situation just doesn't make sense, and I'm afraid it won't end there. I know some of these mages way too well, the true storm has yet to come."

"Indeed." replied the Master shortly. "And you are going to throw yourself right in the middle of this storm."

"But Fairy Tail has been officially stripped off all rights to this request, wouldn't my presence bring even more harm to the guild?" Erza asked worringly

" _If_ you were to go as an employee, that is. I suppose nobody can stop you from traveling on your own, can they?"

Makarov's cheeky smile made Erza chuckle as well, as she wiped her eyes. This man truly had talent when it comes to playing on someone's nose. Sometimes she believed his influence was the reason behind all the damage Fairy Tail has caused over the years.

"Yes, it would seem so. May I take a three-day long vacation?" she asked with a smile.

"You certainly may." Makarov smirked, sipping his second cup of tea. He definitely preffered smiling Erza over her crying self. He lowered his cup and looked at Erza with a slightly more serious face.

"Now then, you must go. Eat something, pack yourself up and be on your way. It's best if you go alone, since your teammates are still injured. You managed to find him once, surely you can do it again. I suggest you listen to gossip, as news travel fast. That friend of yours may be of great help as well. With 9 guilds on his neck and his appearance exposed, finding Salamander will surely turn out to be a much easier task than before. All this skirmish plays in our favor." Makarov stated firmly, receiving a sharp nod from the redhead.

"This time, I will not fail." she stated in confidence.

"And I promise I'll do my part as well. Before you leave, could you please tell Mirajane to come here? There's something important I have to discuss with her."

"Of course, Master."

With that said, Erza bowed to the elder mage and stepped out of his office, closing the door behind her. Talking to Master filled her with renewed confidence and determination, something she's been lacking for the past couple days. Her doubts and fears were still there, however she managed to force them back into a corner, not letting them cloud her mind any longer. _The more I hear about him, the more I realise how similiar you both are:_ Master's words were still echoing in her ears. She remembered his onyx eyes, so similiar to those she had this morning, and so similiar to those she's been carrying for years in the past.

 _"Probably lock him up in the guild."_

Erza's eyes slowly widened in realisation, as Gray's words that were stuck at the back of her mind suddenly resurfaced with unexpected, immense strength, stunning the redhead.

"Lock him...up..." she muttered to herself, her right hand uncontrollably slowly creeping towards her left wrist, as she squeezed it lightly. No, there's no way that could be true, she would have known if it was. But what if...?

Old memories started flowing yet again, as she forcefully shook her head, cutting them off before they caused any damage. Putting all the pieces together, the knight realised it couldn't be a mere coincidence, but to be truly sure, she had to confront the man himself. Shaking her head even harder, she pushed these assumptions back - the mission was her priority. Questions can wait.

Lightly gritting her teeth and filled with burning resolve, Erza quickly made her way downstairs. Gray, Juvia and Mira were sitting together by one table, their conflict with Laxus seemingly resolved.

"Did you get chewed up?" asked her Gray jokingly, however upon seing her serious face, his smile faded away. "Did something happen?"

"I'm going away for a while. Alone." Erza stated firmly, not leaving any room for negotiation, as Gray was already opening his mouth to protest. "Mira, Master wants to see you. It's urgent." she faced the Demon, meeting her bored gaze.

"Yeah. Sure."

Erza nodded to the woman and turned around in her spot, heading towards the exit.

"Wait a second." Gray threw in, standing up from his seat. Erza turned her head around and looked at him. "What is it, Gray? I'm in a hurry."

"This has something to do with that Salamander guy, doesn't it?" the Ice Make mage asked her, his voice worried. "I can't let you go after him alone, not after what happened. Let me come with you."

The knight noticed the determination in his eyes. He most likely felt guilty and incompetent after what happened, especially after bragging about his magic countering Salamander's fire.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Gray. I just need to be alone for a while. I'll be back in couple days, I promise." she smiled at him, faking it as best as she currently could.

Gray stared at the knight for couple more seconds, before sighing and sitting back in his spot. "If you say so." he said shortly.

Erza turned back around and started making her way out of the guild, biting her lip in frustration. She heavily disliked lying to her friends, and she knew Gray saw right through her. But this was something she had to deal with on her own. She relied on her friends for far too long, and now was the time to finally take her problems into her own hands and smother them into nothingness, once and for all.

With this resolve imprinted on her mind, Erza left the guild and walked back to her apartment to get ready. It was time to act.

* * *

 **November 20th, Magic Council HQ, Era.**

Gran Doma was walking through the dark corridor, making his way to his chambers, the only source of light being beams of moonlight peeking through the windows. Upon reaching his destination, he nodded to the guards' salute and entered the room, closing the door behind him. The Chairman put his staff back on its rack and sighed tiredly.

"Well, hello there."

Female voice echoed across the room, as Gran Doma quickly turned his head around towards its source. In his chair behind his desk, sat a young woman. She had brown, shoulder lenght hair, with long bangs covering her right, blue eye, her red lips curved into a smirk. She was wearing a black skintight suit underneath a dark blue vest and short skirt, with heavy, highheeled black boots reaching up to her knees covering her feet, which were currently resting on the wooden top.

Gran Doma sighed in relief, loosening his tense body up.

"What do you want, Jolene?" he asked tiredly.

The woman called Jolene clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I came here all this way and this is the way you greet me? And how long are you planning on talking to me through that puppet of yours? I've missed you, you know. Is that how you treat old friends, _Chairman?_ " she pouted playfully, irritating the man.

"Fine." The Chairman sighed and walked up to the cabinet, pushing one of the books. The cabinet pushed itself to the right, revealing a hole in the wall where an extra room was placed. A moment later, someone walked out of the room, as Jolene was met with the sight of a young and quite short blackhaired man. He was most likely in his late teens, but his face made him look much younger than he truly was. His black hair were all over his bored face, brown eyes peeking from behind his messy bagns. Upon seeing him, Jolene threw her feet off the desk and ran up to the man, embracing him in a crushing hug.

"Ah, I've missed you so much, Luppi!" she squealed into his ear, smothering him with her chest, as he desperately tried to free himself.

"Yeah, sure. I get it. Can you let me go now?" he whined, not amused by her playful approach. The woman gasped in fake shock, and slowly let him go.

Taking a deep breath, Luppi jumped back, massaging his sore nose.

"What are you doing here? I was not informed of your coming." still massaging his nose, Luppi asked the woman in a funny voice, as she sat back in the chair, throwing her legs over the desk once again.

"Master's orders. I'm supposed to check whether things are going according to plan." Jolene retorted, dropping her mischevious play. This earned her an irritated and quiet growl from the man.

"They both are, and aren't." he sighed, making the woman raise an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him sharply, displeased with his response.

"The infiltration plan was a complete success. Our little diversion had succeeded and did its part marvelously. As of today, we are free to do whatever we so desire, completely free of any suspicion." Luppi replied, making Jolene frown in confusion.

"What the hell's up with that vocabulary? Since when were you so eloquent?" she snorted in amusement.

"When you spend months amongst these geezers, whether you like it or not, you pick up certain things. Matter of speech being one of them."

"Well, whatever. How's the other thing doing?"

"That is where the problems begin." Luppi threw himself onto a sofa right next to the desk, sighing tiredly. "Although we did manage to get a good hit on Salamander, we lost Dragon Claw and all the commodity in the process. Not to mention, after sniffing the smell of money, the guilds have started to throw shit amongst themselves. Two of them have destroyed each other, others keep fighting all over Fiore and only one fulfilled its purpose, and not even the full extent of it, because even though they nailed him pretty hard, at the end of the day he wiped the floor with them. I know Master wants to avoid this, but If this goes any further, one of us will have to personally step in and deal with this problem."

Jolene brought her thumb to her lips and gently bit her nail. "That's something we cannot allow. As much as I want to deal with this brat myself, Master specifically ordered us to not interfere at any cost, as we are close to completing our plan. Exposing ourselves can not happen, not at this stage. But if things will keep going badly, we'll have no choice but to disobey an order and deal with this in secret. He's already pushed us into a corner, half of our supply routes are in ruins because of him. We're running out of time." she muttered quietly, anger growing inside of her.

"You want to disobey an order? I've always known you're brave, but stupid? That's a new one." Luppi responded mockingly, earning a light kick from the female.

"I see you're finally growing some balls, kid. No, I'm not crazy enough to disobey an order. I'll just have to talk to Master and convince him to give us a free pass. I'm sure all of us would like to get our hands on this kid. Who would have thought that little boy would end up growing up into such a giant pain in the ass? If I knew it'd turn out like this, I would've snapped his neck when I had the chance."

"I'll pass. I wouldn't last a minute against this guy." Luppi raised his hands in defeat.

"You really should have more faith in yourself. Your magic is so dangerous, I'd be shitting myself if I was your enemy. You just don't know how to use it properly." Jolene rolled her eyes, pushing Luppi with her leg.

"Don't poke me with these, it hurts." he pushed her leg aside, earning a cheeky chuckle from the female in return."I'll figure something out. We still have 9 guilds to works with, it's just a matter of time we get our hands on him." he closed their previous topic, making the woman smile.

"Atta boy!" she cheered, messing up his hair even more.

"Are you staying the night?" he asked her as he pushed her hand off, shocking the female.

"Oh my, Luppi! I take back what I said, you _are_ confident!" she said in an impressed tone, covering her lips with her hand.

"That's not I meant! Control yourself!" Luppi yelled blushing, as Jolene just laughed. "I've been sitting in this shithole for the past couple months, I'd really appreciate if I could talk to a friend rather than some corrupt geezers!"

Jolene sighed loudly, calming her laughter down and patted him on the shoulder. "I know, I'm just messing with you. Unfortunately, I can't stay. If it makes you feel any better, we're going to be gathering up pretty soon, so you'll finally be free from this place. As for now, you can expect a visit from Heavens relatively soon."

Luppi growled at the sound of this name. "What the hell does _he_ want?! Doesn't he realise he's the last person who should be entering this building?" he whined in protest, amusing Jolene even further.

"He's been in the field for a while now, so he'll bring you more instructions from Master, as I'm not that good with formalities. You know, you really have to drop this hatred thing, you guys did join at around the same time, you should be getting along." she scolded him, poking his chest with her finger.

"Seriously, don't treat me like a kid." Luppi replied, pushing Jolene's hand off his chest. The woman laughed in return and took her legs off the desk.

"Earlier you said Salamander had fought with a guild. Which guild was it?" she asked curiously.

"Fairy Tail." the teenager replied shortly, as Jolene's lips slowly curved into a smile.

"Oh? Now that's interesting." she muttered to herself, as her figure slightly flickered all of a sudden, which didn't go unnoticed by Luppi.

"Seriously? You claim you've missed me and you send a thought projection? Now that's low." he raised his eyebrows.

"As much as I like you, Luppi, I don't think I'd travel all this way just to give you a short message. Besides, sneaking in is much easier in this form." she winked at him, making the man grumble quietly to himself. Jolene smirked at this sight and got up from her chair, walking out to the center of the room.

"Well, I should be going, but before I do, could you do me a favor?" Jolene asked, turning around to face Luppi.

"What is it?" sighed, completely fed up with the woman's attitude.

"Is there any way you could go slightly off course and arrange so that Fairy Tail and Salamander are both destroyed? Dead, preferably." Jolene's face twisted with a wicked smile, which slightly terrified the teenager.

"You know damn well we can't kill Salamander, he's essential to our plans. As for Fairy Tail, something along these lines has already been arranged."

Jolene's eyes glimpsed in joy, as she licked her lips. "I can't wait." she whispered, sending chills down Luppi's spine.

"Well then, see you soon. Try not to kill each other with Heavens, please." she waved at him in goodbye and disappeared without a trace, the link between her real body and projection cut off.

Luppi sighed heavily and sunk in his seat, shifting his gaze onto the ceiling.

"Go to sleep." he muttered, as Gran Doma's immobile body moved for the first time in the past few minutes and obediently walked up to the bed, laying down.

"I hate my life." Luppi whined to himself, shifting his eyes onto the full moon peeking from behind the glass of the window. But soon. Soon, none of this will matter, as the world will finally become a better place. A place without violence, without discrimination, without suffering. Yes, it will be their world. _His_ world. "Zeref's" world.

* * *

 **First minutes of November 21st, Lupinus.**

A group of men walked out of a bar, most of them staggering and hicking, as a blackhaired man forcefully pushed them out with a broom.

"Get the hell out, you've already puked all over my local!" he screamed, earning a wave of laughter in responce.

"Don't be so stiff, Troy, it was an accident!" one of them grumbled, waving his hands in front of him.

"It will be once I shove this thing up your ass! Fuck off!" Troy retorted, making the bunch laugh even harder, before they went their separate ways, using nearby buildings as support.

"I hate this town." muttered the bartender under his nose, scrubbing the filthy door to his bar with a rag, using the moon as a source of light. Suddenly, he noticed someone walking up to him, their shadow hovering over the area he was cleaning.

"Closed. Come back another time." quickly shot Troy, not looking at the person behind him, as he tried to get the already dried piece of vomit off the wooden surface. Seeing that his words had no effect, he sighed heavily and turned around to face the figure.

"Didn't you hear? I said, we're clo-"

The man froze for a moment, his eyes widening a little, as they took the sight in front of them in. The person was almost completely covered in bandages, some of them bloodied, which shocked the bartender for a very short moment. Couple seconds later, however, he regained his composure, turning back to his previous duties.

"You look like shit, pal. Go home and lay down, or you'll die." he said in a monotone voice, scrubbing the door with all his strength.

"I heard you know certain things and share them with others for a considerable amount." the figure replied in a muffled male voice.

"And I heard someone's fucking with you. I really had a rough day, buddy. We're closed." Troy did not budge an inch, slowly losing his patience. "Piss off."

After finally getting his door clean, the former bandit folded his bar sign and picked it up, placing it under his right armpit. Just as he was about to enter his local, the man behind him spoke up once again.

"I'm looking for Seven Commandments."

Upon hearing this name, Troy froze in the doorway. Gears started to loudly turn in his head, pieces putting themselves together, as his body started to tense up, chills of terror crawling all over his skin. It must be _her_ fault, she always brought trouble onto his head, even if indirectly. But at the same time, he cursed his curiosity and desire to put nose in other people's business, especially people of this caliber. Unsure of who to shift the blame on, Troy gulped loudly and slowly turned around to face the man, whose pink hair gently flowed in the night breeze.

"Well...shit." was all that managed to come out of the bartender's mouth.

 **To be continued in Chapter 4: Confrontation.**

* * *

 **Yep. Zeref. Keep in mind I used these things - "", so please hold your pitchforks for now.**

 **I know Original Characters are frowned upon, especially villains, but I did some research and came up with several characters whom I myself consider quite enjoyable. I tried to use the little to no screen time they had in this chapter to show a few of their traits - introductions are important, after all.**

 **I do apologize if you find this chapter boring after what happened in the last one, I wanted to focus on the characters and plot, rather than turn this into a story written entirely by punching each other. I'm still relatively new to writing, as my previous works are either lost bets or drunk oneshots, so do go easy on me when it comes to writing plot. Also, I have much, much more action prepared for you all in future updates, so stay tuned. One, max two more chapters of dialogue and you'll be rewarded. Trust me.**

 **Also, I know I made Erza seem out of character, but keep in mind this is a much more troubled Erza from before ToH. She will be different from her canon self, even if just a little. Also I don't know how to handle pre-Lisanna Mira and Laxus. Mira was a really annoying bitch, even in the main series and although I'm trying to make her out to be a better character, who's almost like a slightly more impulsive Erza, her snarkier side is much more difficult to handle. Some tips on how to not turn her into an insufferable bitch would be appreciated. As for Laxus, the guy is badass and...that's it. Sorry Laxus fans, I'll do some research later on!**

 **With that said, this is where I get off. I'll probably be updating this chapter tomorrow, with corrected typos that I've missed and some fixed dialogue here and there.**

 **Next chapter should take less to come out than this one. See ya!**


	4. Confrontation

**Woop woop, Chapter 4, Erza centered chapter, is here! With more dialogue. I hate writing dialogue, especially what happenes in-between exchanged sentences. I always visualise my stories like manga, and wish I could actually draw. _Sigh_. Expect more action coming up very soon. Enjoy and as always - speak your mind out in the reviews!**

* * *

 **Early morning of November 21st, Lupinus**

Erza stepped out of the train, her eyes taking in the sight of the unpleasant train station. It's been 20 hours since she began her search and so far, the only thing she managed to find was a slight feeling of irritation at the thought of wasting so much time in vain.

"I should have come here way sooner." she sighed lightly, as she made her way through the obscure town. It didn't take her long to recognize the so familiar building in the distance. However, something was bothering her.

While walking through the town, she could feel multiple pairs of eyes glued to her figure, as the inhabitants watched her carefully from within their homes. She wasn't suprised - people from this town did not take kindly to strangers. But something felt different about them; it was almost as if they were scared, and not of the knight.

After a very short while, Erza found herself very close to Troy's bar, but with every step she took she could feel her face frowning even more. The man was currently sitting in front of his bar, right by the table he most likely dragged out of the local. His head was resting on top of his hands, which were pressed against his forehead, with the remains of a cigarette in-between fingers of his right hand. The entire wooden surface of the table was covered in ash, with cigarette filters lying all around his chair and table, covering the ground. Overall, this scene was a mix of sadness, creepiness and suprise, as Troy rarely stepped outside of his bar during the day, but the weirdest element of this picture was a quite big stack of cash placed on the edge of the table.

"Troy, are you okay?" asked the redhead, concerned with his appearance.

The bartender twitched at the sound of her voice and lifted his head to look at the woman with his bloodshot eyes. Upon seeing her, his face twisted into a weird grimace. He reached towards his pocket and pulled out yet another cancer stick, lighting it with his shaking hands.

"What do you want?" he asked the knight with a raspy voice.

"I asked you first. What happened here? Have you been here all night?" Erza placed her hands on the table, her tone worried.

"Yep. All night. Because of the visit I received in the night, I don't feel like sleeping." he responded, chuckling sarcastically.

"A visit? From whom?" the Requip mage asked confused. Troy's bar was usually opened from dusk to dawn, depending on his guests, who ranged between regular drunks and shady businessmen and gangs. She's been here plenty of times, even during rush hours and never had she seen him in such a sorry state.

"Salamander himself." he responded, shocking the redhead, as he inhaled an unpleasantly big amount of smoke into his lungs, burning half of the cigarette with one drag. "That's where the money is from, by the way." he coughed, pointing at the bills.

"He was here?! What did he want?" she yelled unintentionally, making the man laugh.

"What do you think? The same thing you all keep me around for." he retorted, his laughter dying immediately, replaced by an angry voice. "Information, and pretty fucking weird one if you ask me."

Erza was sweating. So _that_ was the reason people were so scared. Majority of Lupinus' inhabitants were mages, with only few exceptions like Troy himself. The reason they were so terrified must have been Salamander's enormous magic.

"Did he use force to get what he wanted? How long has it been since he left? What sort of information did he want?!" Erza asked in rapidfire-like fashion, her voice getting louder with each question. If he was here not so long ago, catching up to him in the remaining time she had until her trial was possible.

Troy simply took another drag from his cig and threw it to the ground, reaching for his half-emptied bottle of booze to wash it down.

"Slow down, woman, I can barely sit. Give me some time to process your words." he muttered, raising his hand defensively. "One question at a time."

He reached out for yet another cigarette, but this time he was stopped by an iron grip on his wrist, as Erza reached out to prevent him from doing so.

"Get a hold of yourself." Erza hissed, fed up with her friends sorry appearance. The man simply stared at her with his eyes half open and sighed in defeat.

"Fine." he said shortly, massaging his sore eyes. "I'll have to take my time to answer your questions, so don't hit me please."

Erza let go of his hand, slightly guilty of her impulsive reaction. The knight took a seat and waited for Troy to talk.

"No, he didn't force me into anything. If he did, do you think he'd leave this thing before he left?" said the bartender, tapping the cash with his finger. "What's that supposed to be, recompensation?"

Erza inhaled loudly, trying to relax - Troy was drunk and tired, pushing him would bring more harm than good. Still, she was in a hurry.

"He came here couple minutes before I was about to close for the night." continued Troy, pulling out a new cigarette carefully, afraid Erza will snatch it away. "Some guy puked all over my door, so I had to clean it. That's when he appeared. At first, I thought it was an another client, so I respectfully told him the bar was closed. He didn't listen, so I took a slightly more rude different approach and turned around to take a look at his mug. I don't know what happened to him, but the guy was covered in bandages in basically every place on his body. I won't lie, I got a little scared for a second, but in the end I told him to go away. Then he asked me something and god damn my curiosity, because at that moment I knew who he was."

"What did he ask you?" asked Erza, glad she was finally getting some information.

For a very short while that didn't go unnoticed by the knight, Troy looked at her with something that resembled a mix of pity and concern, before taking a swing of his booze.

"Nothing important. I may have gotten scared, I won't lie. I mean, the guy is known for being a violent brute after all. But up close he didn't seem like an aggressive type. When I couldn't bring myself to answer him properly, he took it as a sign of me being difficult, so he threw that right under my feet." Troy pointed at the cash with his chin. "You know I'm not a greedy scumbag and I'm not particularly interested in money, but seeing this damn thing allowed me to relax. It was a sign that he wouldn't kill me if I didn't live up to his expectations. And so I told him everything I knew. He asked about couple weird things, like where was the nearest hospital, or if the amount he's given me was sufficient. He left 10 minutes later, thanking me for my time so damn politely it threw me completely off guard. I think this guy really lives in a different reality, the money he gave me is more than I've probably earned in my whole life."

The former bandit exhaled some smoke through his nose and leaned back in his chair, finished with his monologue.

Erza listened to his story, her eyes squinted. He's always been clever, capable of talking his way through almost everything. But that worked on strangers and his clients, and definitely not on her.

"Do you really think I don't see right through this facade?" she asked sharply, making the man look at her in confusion. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Troy opened his mouth to answer her, but froze for a moment, before sighing heavily. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You didn't know what he looked like, or what he sounded like. you didn't recognize him even when he was right in front of you and yet only one question about a god damn _hospital_ made you realise who you're talking to? _Nothing important_? I don't believe that." Erza growled through her teeth. "What did he want? Enough with lies."

The atmosphere between them was tense, to say the least. Erza looked like she was trying to melt him with her glare, something that usually worked when he was too difficult. But not this time.

Troy took his eyes off the redhead and lightly shook his head.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Erza."

With that being said, he stood up from his chair and stretched, his back cracking loudly. Erza, feeling panic grasping her neck, stood up from her seat as well and slammed her armored palms into the table in a last attempt to make the man talk. Her conflicted feelings have resurfaced once again, as she grew more and more desperate with each wasted minute. And by know, there was alot of them.

"God damn it, Troy! I have to know! Stop being difficult and just tell me!" she roared.

"For your own good, it's best if you just leave and go home. I know I owe you, but-"

"NO!"

Erza smashed her fists into the table, smashing it into pieces. Breathing loudly, she looked into Troy's eyes with enough anger to make the man scared of her.

"There is no debt! There's never been any debt! Ever since I've dragged your halfdead body to that doctor all these years ago, the thought of you being in debt to me has never even crossed my mind! In fact, it's the complete opposite! I am the one who owes you more than I could ever repay you! Your information from three days ago was more helpful than you could imagine. Thanks to that little bit you've shared with us, we managed to save 8 girls who would most likely end up as slaves. So please, don't hide things from me, and tell me. What did he want and where did he go?"

Erza's tone was now pleading, as she stared into the bartender's soul with her brown orbs. This confession has truly shocked him, as he was just standing there, his mouth half open and his eyes glued to the redhead's face. For a moment, he looked like he was about to spill the beans, however he restrained himself at the last second and shook his head yet again.

"No, Erza. Not this time. For years I thought it was a myth, I _wanted_ it to be a myth. But it's not, and he made it clear pretty damn hard. I'm too scared to even think about it, therefore, you will not hear anything from me." the man whispered. He slowly raised his arm and pointed towards East. "He went that way. If you follow this path long enough, you'll see a town not bigger than this shithole. There's a hospital there, along with a guild you may be quite familiar with, they may have further clues for you. Go and find him. But, don't blame me if you get killed, and be mindful - if you go after him, you may step into the biggest mess of your life, and it may very well turn out to be the last step you'll ever take."

Troy entered his bar and grabbed the doorknob with his right hand. He turned his head around and took a last gaze at the redhead.

"Now, if you excuse me. I think I'll take a nap. You can have this money, not like I'd have any use for it anyway. Goodbye, Erza." he threw in farewell, closing the door behind him, a key turning itself around in the lock few seconds afterwards. Erza stared at the door, processing what she just heard. Myth? Rumor? Whatever it was, it was important enough to make the steelnerved Troy sweat in fear. And that couldn't have been good. The knight shifted her eyes onto the direction in which he pointed in earlier, where a thick blanket of green trees was placed, as she tried to bring up the image of the map she used to read so damn often in her mind.

"If I'm not mistaken, the town that's in this direction is..."

Erza's eyes widened at the realisation, as cold sweat ran down her neck.

" _This is bad. If they meet, it will end up in yet another disaster._ " was all that she managed to think before dashing at full speed, running out of Lupinus and towards her new destination.

Troy watched the knight take off through his peephole, before turning around and sliding his back on the door, landing on his ass. He shifted his tired eyes at the ceiling and sighed heavily.

"Seven Commandments, huh?" he asked himself quietly, his eyes getting heavier with each second. "God, help us." was all his mind managed to register before losing to the warm embrace of sleep.

* * *

 **Afternoon of November 21st, Magic Council HQ, Era**

Luppi was sitting in his chair, his back turned to the chamber door. It was a relatively lazy day, with only one meeting scheduled sometime in the evening. His "puppet" was currently in his bed, resting. For the first time in recent months, the teenager was bored. Usually, he'd live the day through Gran Doma's eyes, so there wasn't much time to feel boredom, but today it was a different story.

His fingers were currently playing with a knife, as he spinned it around his palms, sometimes throwing it into the air, only to catch it in a flashy way. Suddenly, his ear twitched, as they caught the faint sound of opening door. In one, swift movement he turned around and threw the knife at his target, only to see it catch the knife in-between its fingers, mere centimeters away from its face.

"This has to be the warmest welcome you've ever given me." mocked the figure in a young, male voice, his face covered with a hood.

"Well, I _am_ running out of ideas." retorted lazily Luppi, turning back around to show the man right side of his face. "What do you want, Heavens? And how did you even get in?"

"Oh? I thought Jolene would have filled you in by now?" asked the man in slight suprise. "And, I thought we were finally close enough to stop calling each others by our codenames, Mind. As for how I got in..." he smiled, as his figure flickered in the sunlight.

"Typical." was all Luppi said in response to the man's way of getting inside of the building. He was really getting tired of talking to ghosts. "And yes, she did. I just don't understand why you're _here_ , after all the trouble we've been through with shifting all the suspicion onto you and turning you into a mole. Your mere presence in Fiore is a big threat to us, not to mention you get to work in the field and even come here of all places. I don't know what Master's thinking. And no, we are not." the teenager continued to answer his guest's previous questions.

The hooded man chuckled sarcastically and threw his hood back, revealing his azure hair.

"Point taken. I'm here to give you orders from Master. He praises you for your idea of putting a bounty on Salamander's head, but he's disappointed with the way our pawns are handling it. He's given you an ultimatum - you and your "apes" have 3 days, starting from yesterday, to successfully capture him. If you fail, one of us will have to deal with this problem personally. I think you know what that means, don't you?" the man finished his report, smiling at the teenager, as he waited for his reaction with sinister anticipation.

Luppi gulped loudly, sweat running down his temple. That was definitely the last thing he wanted to happen.

"Tell Master, that I understand and will do everything in my strength to ensure Salamander is captured before we proceed into the last stage of our operation." he answered sharply.

"See? You can be a good boy if you want to." Heavens raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking. "Now, as much as I love spending time with you, I still have some stuff to deliver. Probably the last and final load."

"Wait, again? Why have they died so fast? Usually they were usable for at least 2 months, it hasn't even been two weeks since the last one." Luppi turned around to face the man, genuinely confused.

"With so close to deadline, the work is much more intense. Master wants to be done with it this month, therefore, we need more people. That's why he's given you a timelimit - we can't allow Salamander to destroy our supply routes any longer. You're running this place, surely you must have noticed our men being stuffed into way overcrowded cells after his "purges"."

"That's the reason I've hired all these guilds for, you know." the teenager retorted, turning back around. "If that's all, leave. Through the window, preferably."

Heavens chuckled and turned back, walking towards the door.

"See you soon, Luppi. Try not to rot in here." he said, waving his hand lazily.

"I hate you, Jellal." threw Luppi in farewell.

Jellal stopped in his tracks and froze for a second, as if considering attacking his comrade. But that didn't happen and he just turned his head around and smiled. "And vice versa." he responded, before disappearing in thin air.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Erza panted heavily, as she made her way through the forest that stood in the way to her destination. Getting there was much harder than she anticipated, as she had to carefully avoid thick puddles of mud, fallen trees and rocks. All this jumping and skipping in intense heat was slowly starting to get to her, her legs getting heavier with each hour.

The knight swiftly climbed on a cliff, jumping on moss covered stones. With one final jump, she got a hold on the edge and pulled her weight up. The very first thing her eyes registered when she placed her torso on the upper ground, was a vast window in-between the leaves, with buildings visible in the background. Glad that she finally made it, she got up from the dirt and gently ran straight ahead.

After a minute of light jogging, the redhead finally emerged from the forest and stepped into the town, with the sun catching her figure for the first time in hours, as it began scorching her armor protected skin. Erza slightly bent over and grabbed her knees, regulating her breathing. Her stomach bruise started to bite into her left side, making the journey slightly harder than it was supposed to be. After one final breath, she moved from her spot and started to make her way through the town.

Oakwood Town was one of her least favorite places. The town itself was beautiful, completely surrounded by a thick forest filled with ponds, plains and animals, with majority of its buildings and houses made out of wood. Only a fool would dislike this beautiful scenery, and yet, Erza did not enjoy being here. And the reason for that was just in front of her, as after good couple minutes of walking, her eyes registered the so unpleasantly familiar guildhall placed right in the middle of the town, with _Quatro Cerberus_ carved right above the entrance. She wasn't particularly fond of this guild's mages, especially their strongest S-Class wizard, whose perverted retorts and approaches usually ended up in an all out brawl.

Sighing deeply in defeat, Erza turned around on her heel and looked for inhabitants, wishing to ask about their hospital. If Salamander was truly looking for one, he may have visited it. She looked around for a while, before spotting something with the corner of her eye, as the neighboring alley was almost filled with people. Sensing trouble, the knight quickly crossed the street and soon found herself pushing her way through the crowd, making some people yelp out in pain as she brushed their skin with her red hot armor.

"Excuse me." she smiled kindly to a group of children that was trying to peek over the adults curiously, and finally found herself on the scene.

The entrance to the hospital was heavily damaged, with the door busted out of its hinges, most likely kicked from the inside. The nurses and doctors were trying to explain the situation to a group of Quatro Cerberus mages, who were clumsily cleaning the mess up. Feeling pressure, Erza walked out of the crowd and quickly walked up to the building, making her way towards an elder doctor, who was currently sitting in the hospital lobby, seemingly depressed with the mages' approach to the situation.

"Excuse me?" she asked him, gaining his attention. "My name is Erza Scarlet, I'm a Fairy Tail mage. Could you tell me what happened here?"

The doctor looked at her with tired eyes, which comically widened all of a sudden, shocked by her choice of clothing, however upon seeing her guild stamp he quickly shook it off and adjusted his glasses.

"Yes, yes of course. Despite your... unique appearance, it seems the universe showed its pity over me and sent you instead of these primitives. You seem like a competent girl, unlike those useless drunks." he grinded his teeth, pointing at the other mages. Erza couldn't help but chuckle at his words.

"That drunk, Bacchus, came here not so long ago, as usual demanding hangover pills. I was currently busy with finishing patching a certain young man up, so I told him to wait. At first he obliged, but then noticed my patient and started to watch him very carefully. He asked him some weird questions, and suddenly attacked him. They ran out of the building and made their way into the forest, with some of Bacchus' friends following in suit." relayed the doctor, furrowing his forehead to remember every detail of the incident.

Erza suddenly stopped feeling hot, as cold sweat covered her back. She was too late.

"Did this young man have a white, scaly scarf and pink hair?" she asked the doctor, using all her strength to make her tone sound as natural as possible.

"I don't know about the scarf, but he did have pink hair." replied the man, confirming Erza's fears.

"Which way did they go?!" she blew up, scaring the doctor.

"T-that way." he stuttered, pointing with his shaky finger.

Not even thanking him, Erza dashed in the freshly received direction, jumping into the green jaws of the forest yet again shortly afterwards.

This was bad. Although she didn't act any better, Erza knew Bacchus would not let Salamander go without a fight. The man may have liked money, because it brought him alcohol, but he liked fighting even more. The news of Fairy Tail's defeat had reached the ears of all other guilds. Bacchus would definitely want to challenge himself against someone who bested both the Demon and Titania of Fairy Tail. At this point, she didn't even know what she was concerned with the most - the town, forest or Bacchus and his friends. The image of destroyed Blackhill Village emerged yet again, as she dashed through the bushes, feeling thin branches and leaves scrape her skin.

A muffled nearby explosion ensured the knight that she was on the right path. Gritting her teeth, she kicked the ground as hard as she possibly could, praying in mind to make it in time. And her prayers have been answered.

With one final straight through thick bushes, Erza emerged out of them, only to be met with the sight of a plain, placed right in the middle of trees and bushes, with a giant chasm few meters away. The grassland became a battlefield, as multiple mages tried to attack one person, who swiftly continued to dodge their attacks, at the same time trying not to fall down into the darkness of the ground.

The knight sighed in relief - nothing major happened, at least not yet. With the situation seemingly under control, Erza decided to observe the situation before steeping in, as she ducked and hid in the bushes, hoping Salamander doesn't catch her smell in the middle of this skirmish.

The very first person she recognized was Bacchus, clad in his trademark armor-like clothes, as he continuously tried to connect his palm strikes on his opponent, who had some trouble with dodging them, but avoided receiving any damage. It didn't take the knight long to figure out who this person was - she could never forget this unusual hair color.

Salamander's appearance was slightly different from the attire he wore in Blackhill. Although he kept his military boots and pants, his upper half was clad in a black, unzipped long sleeved jacket that revealed his bandaged torso and hands. His face was uncovered, a white, fresh bandage wrapped around his forehead, with his white scarf sitting around his neck.

His face expressed pure annoyance, as he dodged yet another one of Bacchus' combinations, who clicked his tongue in irritation.

"Buddy, you're starting to piss me off." muttered the drunk, a slight tickmark appearing on his forehead. "I told you to stop messing around and fight me. Use your flames! Just hearing about you and your accomplishments makes my soul waver, so don't disappoint me!"

"Flames? Here? Not interested. Get lost." responded Salamander with a bored voice, gesturing at nearby trees and bushes, irritated as well. His eyes were not focused on his main opponent, as he observed the other Quatro Cerberus mages slowly surround him, pressuring him to take a step back, bringing himself closer to the chasm, his heels mere millimeters away from the edge.

Erza simply watched the scene, relieved she hasn't been spotted yet and glad she decided to hide for the time being - she was here for not even a full minute and one of her questions has already been answered: Salamander avoided combat with legal mages, no matter which guild they were from. But his concern about the forest...just what the hell was inside of this man's head?

Bacchus chuckled mockingly, laughing at Salamander's concern over the damage he could cause.

"No can do, pal. Do you really expect me to just let you go, after I've heard so much about you? Erza? Mirajane?! Not just anyone can walk around with victories over both of these babes over their head! And the reward for taking you down? That's just a bonus!" he exclaimed, licking his lips in excitement.

"No idea who you're talking about." retorted the Dragon Slayer, clicking his tongue in annoyance - escaping without a fight wasn't an option, no matter how hard he tried. The gap in the ground was simply too big to just jump over, not like they'd just like him to anyway. "Also, what reward are you talking about?" he asked the S-Class mage, trying to buy more time.

Bacchus' smile faded, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do you live under a rock? Titania Erza and Demon Mirajane, two of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, don't you remember who you've beaten few days ago?

"Oh, them." Salamander's frown relaxed a little, with a slight glimpse of guilt on his face that didn't go unnoticed by Erza. "What about the bounty? Who put it?" he asked sharply, looking Bacchus in the eye for the first time since the knight's arrival.

"The Council." answered the man, glad he finally piqued his interest. "30 million for taking you down, alive only."

Salamander's eyes glimpsed dangerously, as if he understood more from Bacchus' words than he was supposed to.

"Oh?" was all that came out of his mouth in response.

"I am a simple man. I love women, booze, money and a good fight. You, my friend, fit in three of those things. As you can see, I can't just let you walk out on me." said Bacchus, opening his arms to express himself. "Now, put up your fists. Let me enjoy myself!"

"If I give you the money, will you let me go?" asked Salamander in a carefree tone, throwing not only Bacchus, but Erza as well, off guard.

"What?" muttered the drunk, unsure whether he heard the Dragon Slayer right.

"I can give you the money, if that's what you want. Just let me be on my way." pressed Salamander, confusing Bacchus even more.

It took him a moment to regain his composure, but after a short while, Bacchus started to chuckle to himself, which suddenly turned into a loud laugh.

"You really are something else, buddy. I have to admit, your offer is really tempting." sighed Bacchus, slowly reaching towards his sealed bottle of booze. "But I refuse!" he yelled, ripping the bottle out of its holster. "If you don't come at me, then I just have to force you to do it, simple as that." he smiled wickedly, as he pulled the cork out with his teeth.

Salamander's eyes squinted dangerously, as he extended his left leg forward and bent his knees lightly, his fists catching on fire.

"Don't regret it." he warned his opponent, his voice suddenly sharpened into an intimidating tone, triggering unpleasant memories of their first meeting in Erza. Fed up with this ridiculous situation and sensing yet another tragedy, the knight shot up from her spot and quickly walked up to the scene.

"All of you, cease this at once!" she commanded, earning shocked looks from all present males. Bacchus' eyes widened a little, clearly suprised to see his rival in a place like this. But that didn't last long, as he just focused on Salamander yet again.

"Back off, Erza. You had your shot, this guy is mine." he warned the knight, readying himself to attack.

However his opponent wasn't even looking at him, as he and Erza just stared at each other, both of them ignoring the drunk, his face twisted in a weird mix of emotions, and hers in sheer determination. Determination to find out the truth.

"You don't seem suprised to see me." she said sharply to the Dragon Slayer, staring into his onyx eyes.

"I picked up your scent a while ago. I was hoping I was wrong, though." he responded with a slightly strained voice. "How are your friends? And you arms?" his tone softened a little, losing some of its sharpness, as slight concern crept into his voice.

"Alive and in one piece." answered Erza, relaxing her voice a little to match his. But not because she wanted to be polite or grateful for his concern - she was caught off guard by the sudden change of his tone. For a second, she could swear she noticed relief take control over his face, as if a huge burden was taken off his chest.

"I see. That's good to hear." he said shortly.

All of a sudden, this little action filled her with anger she couldn't even understand herself. She couldn't figure him out, nothing about this man made any sense. No matter how long she bothered her already tired mind, she just couldn't come to a conclusion. Because just when she thought she finally knew what to think of him, he did something to completely ruin it. And that was making her angry.

Erza opened her mouth, ready to express her feelings, but something she caught with her eye stopped her from doing so. Using Erza's distraction to his advantage, Bacchus was now chugging from his trusty bottle, streams of alcohol flowing down his chin. Sensing danger, the redhead quickly got in-between both males, trying to come up with a way on how to prevent their fight from happening.

Bacchus sighed loudly in joy, his bottle already emptied. The alcohol has already started to affect him, his face quickly taking a light shade of red with uncontrollable drunken chuckle coming out of his mouth.

"Don't try to stop me, Erza. If I don't hit something, I may go crazy." he said in-between his laughter, reading himself to strike.

"You don't understand! This will only end badly! Cease this foolishness at once, Bacchus!" she tried to reason with the drunk, Requipping a sword in the meantime. "You!" she turned around to face Salamander, who was also ready to fight. "Stay behind me and don't do anything rash!" she ordered the Dragon Slayer.

For a moment, it looked like he was about to protest, but that quickly changed, as he just yelled "Watch out!", aiming the warning at the redhead.

Erza turned back around, only to see Bacchus' drunk, grinning face in front of hers. Seeing her carelessness as a golden opportunity, he connected a powerful palm strike with both of his hands into her stomach, more specifically where her wound was. The attack caused her pain she's never experienced in her life, knocking all the air out of her body and causing waves of pain pulse all over her body, from the top of her head to tips of her toes, with her bruise being the medium. Her limbs became instantly paralysed as she struggled to breathe, sword falling out of her grisp, and her feet losing ground beneath them, with Bacchus lifting her strengthless figure off the surface with his arms. With one final push, the drunk sent her flying backwards, her body completely not responding to her desperate pleas, as her mind was slowly getting overtaken by darkness. The last thing her eyes registered before falling unconscious was black jaws of the abyss below her, creeping closer, as her limp figure made its way down the chasm.

"Damn...it..." was all she managed to wheeze out before losing herself to darkness.

* * *

Reality coming back to her, Erza's closed eyes twitched, her body waking up. Surrounded by silence, she could hear her raspy breathing, her left side pulsing from pain. Carefully, she opened her eyes, only to be met with a scenery mostly covered in darkness, with an orange, gentle light flickering on the rocky ceiling. She blinked slowly couple times, looking around the dark questionably.

"Yo. Looks like you're awake."

Erza's body jolted upwards, making her deeply regret it a second later, her wound reminding her of its presence. Regulating her breathing, Erza looked towards the source of the voice, only to be met with a sitting Salamander, the tip of his finger burning, weakly lightening their current location up.

"Where are we?" she asked him suspiciously as she dragged her body backwards, planting her back against a wall, her eyes glued to his figure. "How did I get here?"

"In a crack inside of the chasm, which apparently led to a cave. I dragged you in here after that guy sent you flying." he explained shortly.

Erza's eyes squinted, as she tried to remember what exactly happened before she fainted. That cursed fool...always thinking with his body rather than his brain. He probably wouldn't even remember killing her, if she did crash into the abyss. Which brought yet another question...

"Why did you help me?" she hissed, more from pain than hostility.

"Why wouldn't I?" he raised his eyebrows, suprised by this question. "Would you rather fall to your death?"

Erza grit her teeth in response, unfamiliar feeling filling her chest. There it was again, her mind rearranging itself like an annoying, unwanted puzzle. But this time, the source of this problem was right in front of her. And she sure as hell was not planning on letting him get away.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked him coldly, confusing the Dragon Slayer even more.

This simple question, these five words expressed much more then they appeared to. For the past couple days, her mind was a complete mess, rendering her unable to focus on anything her hands have touched. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to ask him, to confirm her doubts and fears. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't put her desires into proper words, with this simple and childish question being her best outcome.

Salamander just stared at her, unsure of what to make out of this question. After a short while, he sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"You'll have to be a little more specific, you know." he answered shortly.

This was her breaking point. This was what she needed, the plain feeling of anger and irritation that dulled her other emotions. All of a sudden, Erza felt as if some sort of a barrier has been lifted off her mind, her messy thoughts finally grouping up in a line that was ready to be turned into words and shot rapidly through her mouth.

"Very well." she whispered, adjusting her back on the cold wall, as she turned her torso towards Salamander.

"Your reputation is nothing to laugh about. The way people talk about you - you're the personification of fear itself. No one knows what you look like, what you sound like, where you operate from. Then, I received information about your apparent taste in Dark Guild hunting. By this point, I thought of you as nothing but a pure fiend, a criminal, and yet, someone I trust very deeply told me there was much more to you than menacing reputation and powerful magic. Hearing this, I've decided to trust said person and either confirm or deny the rumors myself. However the very first time I laid my eyes on you, you were strangling a man to death whilst demanding information, with people burning all around you, as you just stood there, ignoring it. Then, all of a sudden, you tell me and my friends about enslaved women in the basement, while completely disregarding the fact that your hand was one squeeze away from taking someone's life, at the same time saying you wish to avoid combat, with your own power traumatising my comrades in the meantime. Those actions made absolutely no sense to me, they made me genuinely angry - why would someone who has little to no regard to human life concern themselves over fighting legal mages and saving slaves?"

Salamander's eyes were glued to the redhead's brown orbs that were glaring at him, as he listened to her monologue peacefully. He knew it was pure and nonsense gibberish, but it clearly helped the redhead to vent herself out.

"None of this made any sense to me, even when we finally provoked you into combat. Even though I slashed your chest open with my sword, you still pleaded to let you go. At this point, I started to doubt myself, whether I was doing the right thing. Watching you beat my friends with such ferocity and brutality made me genuinely fear for their safety, however no matter how much fury was placed in your fists, you still kept enough self-restraint to stop yourself at the last possible moment. I should have felt anger, hatred at the sight of their pain, but all I could muster was confusion. Why would someone who just a moment ago looked like he was ready to kill many people concern himself with the safety of people who have pushed him so far? For a moment, I was considering putting a stop to this madness. And then, the punch you landed on my body triggered memories I wished to forget, I _wanted_ to forget. My old self reawakened and tried to kill you, almost succeeding if it wasn't for my friend. By the time I put my foot on the ground after removing it off your head, all my previous emotions such as confusion, fear and anger were replaced with a new sensation - disguist. Looking at your blood on my hands made me sick, I wanted to vomit. I couldn't bear to look at you. And yet, despite everything we've done to you, despite putting you through absolute hell, despite the pure fury and hatred you've felt after breaking out of the chains...you _apologized_."

Salamander's eyes widened in shock. It wasn't her confession that caused this reaction - it was her tears. Erza's left eye started to gradually tear up out of frustration, rivers of salty liquid flowing down her face, as she continued to speak her mind out.

"Why did the one who apologized have to be you? Why didn't I put a stop to this, despite realising that the situation was plain ridiculous? Just thinking about it breaks my heart. I realised that no matter what I do, I'd never be able to look you in the eye, because at the end of the day, _I_ was the criminal. I have discarded all my sense of logic and everything I've been taught throughout the years, and judged you the very moment things started to get out of my hand. I am a coward, I deserve the worst punishment. And yet..."

Erza could no longer contain herself. Sudden and sharp breaths took control over her body, as she just convulsed in her spot, sobbing quietly into her hand. Salamander just sat there, staring at her the same way he has been for minutes now.

"And yet you saved me. Why?" she asked, locking her eyes with his yet again.

Salamander closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose loudly. adjusting himself in his spot as well. He mirrored Erza's position and planted his back up against the rocky wall, crossing his arms on his lap.

"After something like this, I'd be a bastard if I didn't respect your feelings." he said, his eyes still closed. "What's your name?" he asked her, opening his eyes and shifting them at  
the knight's figure.

"Huh?" she muttered while she wiped her face with her forearm, not hearing him.

"I said: what's your name?" he repeated the question, this time louder.

Erza sniffed and and cleared her throat, regaining some of her usual composure.

"When asking for someone's name, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first." she answered, her tongue regaining its sharpness almost immediately.

The Dragon Slayer opened his mouth, ready to protest, but closed it in defeat shortly afterwards and sighed.

"I haven't told anyone my name in years, you know." he breathed out, scratching his head in the meantime.

"Now's the perfect time to break this tradition."

Seeing that she's not planning on budging even a little, Salamander groaned in defeat.

"Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." he muttered quietly, but loud enough to reach the redhead's ears.

Erza just stared at him with a weird look one her face, which irritated the fire mage. "What?" he asked her.

"Nothing. I was just suprised at how fitting this name is." she stated in response, her tone as casual as if she was talking about weather.

"Whatever. Can you tell me your name now?"

Erza hesitated for a second before responding. "Erza Scarlet."

Natsu looked all over her curled up figure, his eyes hanging on her scarlet hair for a moment longer than her other parts.

"How fitting." he raised his eyebrows, receiving a pitiful look from Erza in return. "Well then, Erza. I guess I owe you something."

He adjusted his back on the wall and took a deep breath.

"Unfortunately, I can't open myself to you like you did just now. But, I can clear out your troubled mind. Is that okay?" he asked, shifting his eyes onto the knight.

"Yes." she answered shortly.

Natsu looked at the ceiling once again and continued.

"The reason I'm known as who I am is quite simple, really. I've been looking for someone for the past 7 years. Finding them is not easy, so I figured if I shake their nest long enough, they'll come out on their own. They haven't. That's why I've been following this path for so long."

Erza, just like he did a while ago, listened in silence. This is what she'd wanted - she had to hear every single word he said.

"I can't blame people for fearing me, after all I earned it. I have to admit, my reputation comes in handy quite often, especially when I get paid. I know people are so scared of me they'll never think about cheating me, so I just roll with it. But..."

The Dragon Slayer stopped for a moment and made a fist, staring at it.

"Deep inside, I know that Salamander is not an exaggeration. This is who I am - a monster. When I confront scum like those in Blackhill, I can't contain myself. I want to make them feel the pain, I want them to suffer, to pay for what they've done, while I tear the information right out of their mouths, getting one, tiny step closer with each pile of rubble I leave behind. I want them to experience true hell, even for a moment. And I feel that with each guild I take down, it gets harder and harder to contain myself. That's why I fear only one thing - the thought that I'm nowhere near close to my goal. That's why I avoid legal mages and the Council. My enemy has been set years ago. I can hardly contain myself when confronting this filth, let alone strong opponents. Like you."

He looked into Erza's widened eyes, his full of sorrow and guilt.

"I apologized for two reasons. One, because I lost control of myself. I aimed my fists at the wrong people, people who have probably done more good than I ever will. The other is related to you, Erza."

"To me?" asked the confused redhead.

Natsu glued his onyx eyes into hers, tension rising in the air at rapid speed. She felt herself gulping unwillingly, awaiting his answer.

"You know, when you change armors, there's one, quick moment where that light doesn't really cover you, so if someone's quick enough, they can see you nake-"

"Shut your mouth!" she yelled furiously, throwing a nearby rock at his head, which he swiftly dodged.

"Sorry." he muttered, raising his hand in apology.

"Stop goofing around and take this seriously!" the knight commanded in raised voice, regretting it immediately afterwards, her wound biting once again.

Natsu kept his orbs on her figure for a little longer, as if considering something. Finally, he decided to spill the beans and raised his left arm vertically, holding it on front of his chest.

"Back then, I realised something about you. Something I assumed not many people know of. Seeing it made me realise that in one way or another, we may actually be similar."

Slowly, he raised his right hand and and kept it hanged in the air for a moment.

"The other reason, is this." he whispered, tapping his left wrist with his finger.

Squinting her eyes, the knight tried to make something out of this gesture. It took her a second to understand him, but when she did, Erza felt fear grasp her heart.

"Y-you..." she stuttered angrily in disbelief, trying to mask her fear with anger.

"Yeah. I saw them." he stated blatantly.

Erza couldn't believe it. In the heat of battle, he managed to see something she could barely look at herself, something none of her friends even knew about. And he dared to say he thought of them as similar, because of _them_?

Just when she was about to open her mouth to speak out, something hit her.

 _"Probably lock him up in the guild."_

The redhead's eyes widened, a single drop of sweat finding its way down her temple. It was slowly starting to make sense.

"Is that the reason you're afraid of being captured?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, his sudden twitch suggesting she hit the mark.

Salamander's eyes squinted gently, deepening her hunch even further.

"If I got caught, I wouldn't be able to finish what I started. Simple as that"

His response was sharp, quick and transparent. Erza had too way too much experience with liars to realise his words were only half-true, with the other half sealed deep inside his heart. Putting herself in his position, she decided not to dig any deeper, leaving her own assumptions silent and kept to herself.

"Now then, I suggest we get out of here. We've been here for a while now." sighed Natsu, failing at changing the subject.

Feeling mostly satisfied, Erza nodded her head gently. "I agree. If we follow this path, we should find something we can use as an exit."

"Do you need any help?" he asked, watching the struggling knight, as she used the wall as support.

"No need. I've mostly recovered. For the time being..."

Bright, white light filled the cave, as Erza summoned a dull spear, hanging her weight on the thick shaft. "This will do." she finished, as she got in front of Natsu, limping her way to the exit.

Snorting in amusement, Salamander put his right hand behind his head and followed the redhead, lightening up the path in front of her with his flaming palm.

After what felt like an hour of walking, that passed in complete silence, both mages found themselves staring at the light at the end of the tunnel, which grew bigger with each step. Feeling fresh air fill her nostrills, Erza regained a big chunk of her strength, her steps becoming much smoother and faster. With one final kick of the ground, both mages stepped out of the cave, finding themselves on a small hill in the middle of Oakwood's forest, with Lupinus being seen in the distance. The sky was already orange, the sun very close to setting in.

"Can you make it back home?" Natsu broke the silence, startling the redhead.

"Yes, no problem."

The Dragon Slayer nodded and got very close to the edge of the cliff and bent his knees, ready to jump down.

"Before you go." started Erza, stopping him in the last moment, as he turned around to look at her curiously. "Who exactly are you looking for?"

Natsu didn't respond, his body frozen in the weird position that resembled an unfinished squat. After a short moment, he straightened himself back up, his face suddenly growing a menacing shadow on its right side.

"Seven Commandments." he answered shortly.

Erza frowned. She's never heard of this guild, and to her knowledge, it wasn't even listed in Baram Alliance.

"If you ever face any of them, don't hesitate and kill them. You'll actually want to when you realise who they really are." continued Salamander, his voice losing its previous carefreeness.

With that said, he turned back around and bent his knees yet again. "Till we meet again, Erza." he threw in farewell, jumping down the cliff and disappearing in the trees.

The knight shifted her eyes towards the familiar town in the distance. She sighed heavily - she should feel much lighter after this meeting. But instead, she found something else to bother herself with. And it wasn't any lighter.

"Until we meet again." she muttered to herself, the sun finally disappearing behind the horizon.

 **To be continued in Chapter 5: Comrades.**

* * *

 **I don't know, but as I was writing it, I imagined this chapter as that kind of an info bomb they drop on your ass and leave you confused as hell. Whether I succeeded or not - you tell me!**

 **Some of you may feel cheated when it comes to Natsu. I get it - I may have gotten a little ahead of myself with his previous portrayals. That's why I used something interesting that you may have missed in this chapter. Here's a hint - pay attention to what's written in-between the dialogue between him and Erza.**

 **I made them have a quite civil conversation, because neither of them think of each other as an enemy. Erza in canon is not reckless enough to just attack someone for no good reason(other than her cake). This Erza, although a little more complicated, does have her original's traits, and so does Natsu. If I wanted to change their characters to the point of no recognition, I might as well turn them into OC's.**

 **I'm sleepy and tired. Expect some usual adjustements to dialogue later on tomorrow, and stuff like that. Spellcheck and my eyes prank me all the time, you know. Good night!**


	5. Comrades

**Chapter 5, probably the last chapter made mostly out of dialogue. If you finish this chapter, make sure to read the AN at the bottom, I'd appreciate it.**

* * *

 **Afternoon of November 22nd, Magic Council HQ, Era**

Makarov made his way through the corridors of Council's Headquarters, accompanied by two guards and a redhaired knight walking right beside him. The day of their trial has finally arrived and their fate was about to be decided. The Master already knew what was going to happen, but he kept his head held high, passing by whispering Council members with a small smirk glued to his face. His plan was about to be brought to life.

After few minutes of walking, they found themselves standing in front of the giant wooden door of the courtroom.

"We have arrived. Miss Scarlet, please give me your arms." said one of the guards, walking in front of Erza. The knight looked at him in suprise, but complied and extended her hands in front of her torso. The guard grabbed her wrists and smacked magic cancelling handcuffs on her armored arms.

"Is this necessary?" asked Makarov, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm simply following my orders, sir." answered the guard.

"Are you going to put those on me as well?" joked the Master, joining his hands in front of his chest. The guard merely squinted his eyes and walked up to the door, grabbing the massive doorknob.

"Miss Scarlet." he called out to the knight, inviting her inside.

Erza sighed gently and slowly made her way into the room.

"Be convincing." whispered Makarov when she passed him.

"I know." retorted the woman through her teeth. Couple seconds later, she found herself in the bright, big room as the heavy door closed behind her, cutting off her possible way of escape. The room was rather empty, but spacious, with a big, brown wooden stand where Council members were sitting placed at the end of the room, with a wooden path that led straight to a thick railing in front of it. Erza didn't get to take the sight in, as she felt a gentle push on her back, telling her to walk forward. The knight slowly made her way down the wooden path, checking the stands with her eyes in the meantime. She briefly spotted couple of familiar faces, such as Yajima and Saint Jura, but her eyes were mostly focused on the figure of the Chairman, who sat right in the middle, on something that resembled a throne.

Erza finally reached her destination, as she got in front of the railing and extended her bound hands forward. Her arms were grabbed by a guard, who slid a steel bar right into the link between her cuffs and planted it deep into the ground, seemingly locking the knight in the place.

"Erza Scarlet." Gran Doma's voice echoed across the room, as he stood up from his seat. "You have been brought here to answer for your violation of the law. You are about to be judged accordingly and pledged innocent, or guilty. Do you swear to tell truth, and only the truth?"

"I do." answered the woman, trying to sound as serious as possible.

"Very well. I hereby open the trial of Erza Scarlet, accused of destroying Blackhill Village, acting on her own accord in Dark Mage hunting and acting against the Council's consent and laws." said Gran Doma, smashing the wooden surface with his staff.

" _I am_ so _going to make her pay when I get back."_ thought the "knight", gritting her teeth.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

 _"I'm counting on you, Mira."_ thought Makarov, as he walked through the so familiar corridors, exiting the main wing of the building. He had at least 30 minutes until his trial and he knew exactly what to do with them. He made his way downstairs, entering an area he's been to only once. He never expected, or wanted to find himself here for a second time, but those were difficult times.

After couple minutes of walking, his only source of light were dying torches, with the windows completely absent, as the elder man made his way deeper into the dungeon. Finally, he reached the end of the stairs and walked down the dark, dusty corridor, with two guards standing at the end of it right by the barred steel door.

"Sir, you're not supposed to be in...here..." said the guard, trying to stop the Master, however his eyelids have suddenly become heavy, as he fell to the floor along with his partner.

Makarov canceled his Sleep Magic and searched the guard thoroughly, looking for keys. Upon finding them, he turned them in the lock and pushed the heavy door, opening them. The first thing his eyes have registered were two rows of cells, spreading deep into the dungeon. It was dark, so dark he had to make a ball of fire in his tiny hand and hold it in front of him to not trip and fall onto his face. The tiny mage made his way down the prison, walking slowly and checking every plate that was hanged above the cells. The prisoners were curious and suprised by his presence, but remained silent. Some of them walked up to the bars and followed him with their eyes, muttering something under their noses. Months and possibly years of being locked up took its tool on all of these men and women, majority of them out of shape and covered in their dirty, tangled hair.

After few minutes, he found his destination and gulped lightly, his eyes glued to number 100977 engraved on a wooden plate hanged right above the cell. The Master carefully walked up to the bars, gently lightening the interiors of the room.

"To whom do I owe this pleasant suprise?" asked a raspy, sarcastic voice from inside of the cell.

Makarov took these words as a sign of a good start and cleared his throat.

"I think this is the first time in years you had to ask someone for their name, isn't it?" asked the tiny mage, receiving a small chuckle in response.

"I never thought I'd miss it. For years, I wanted to spend at least an hour in silence, yet here I am, wishin' I could hear voices once again. Well then, will you tell me who my sudden guest is?"

The Master hesitated for a moment, sorting his thoughts, making sure he plays his cards right. One mistake could cost him dearly.

"Fairy Tail's Master, Makarov Dreyar." said the tiny mage, deciding to take a risk. Upon hearing this name, the prisoner slightly twitched in his seat, seemingly unsettled.

"I need your help, Cobra. Or should I call you Erik?" asked the Master.

The man's eyes squinted dangerously, as he stared at Makarov's figure. "I ain't even going to ask where you've learned of that name, old man." answered Cobra, his voice losing its previous playfulness. "What do you want from me?"

"Answers." retorted the elder mage sharply, slightly suprising the prisoner. "I am going to ask you some questions, and you will answer them best to your knowledge."

Cobra was stunned, his mouth open, as he just stared at the man. After a short while he regained his composure and started to laugh, his voice rough and dry.

"Well, at least now I know you're funny, old man." wheezed the dark mage, wiping his eyes. "So, your people throw me and other Generals in here for life, and you just come here and expect me to sing for ya? Why do I have to answer any of your questions?" his voice lost any trace of its previous carefreeness, as he now hissed at the elder mage.

"You don't." answered Makarov shortly. "You can remain silent. I will thank you for your time and be on my way. You and your comrades will stay here and spend the rest of your lives in this disguisting place. If you wish to avoid that, however, you can tell me everything you know and I will make sure your sentences will be shortened. Your choice."

Cobra remained silent, staring into Makarov's eyes. None of this made any sense to him, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the man's last proposition. Still, he had to make sure..

"Why should I believe your words? Nothing you just said makes any sense."

"Do what you think is best, Erik. You are free to make your own choices." retorted the elder, making the prisoner raise his eyebrows. "Right. Forgive me." he sweatdropped, slightly embarrassed of his momentary inability to read the mood.

Cobra waged his options in silence, his mind engaged in a heated battle. The man standing in front of him was an enemy, he shouldn't even consider putting trust in this small figure, and yet, his words were far too tempting to be left ignored.

"You're the first person I've talked to in months, I might as well listen to your blabberin' and kill some time. Can't say I will tell ya anything, though."

Both men stared at each other for a while, before Makarov sighed in his thoughts in relief.

"Very well." muttered the senior. Sweat ran down his temple - his time was limited and Cobra was certainly easy to startle. He had to tread lightly and ask the right questions, as the ice was mighty thin. Still, risks had to be made. He wouldn't get far without taking them.

"I guess I will begin with the most intriguing one..." started the Master, choosing his words carefully. "What do you know about Salamander?"

Cobra's eyes glimpsed in the darkness, betraying him. Not that he'd be in any position to lie about meeting him - the entire Council and at least 12 guilds knew about their encounter by now.

"Sorry, old man, that one is a fat no." said Cobra, trying to cross his bound hands in the shape of an X in front of his chest.

"I know you've fought, Erik. Half of the country does." retorted the Master.

"It's not about that. I just don't sell out comrades, that's all." smirked the prisoner, shocking the elder. _Comrades?_

 _"_ What do you mean "comrades"? Both of you tried to kill each other for all I know, and now you're saying you became friends?"

"No comment." stated Cobra, seemingly closing the topic.

Looking at his watch, Makarov decided to bet everything on one, final card. He disliked playing this role, but he had to pull the Dragon Slayer's tongue to get what he came here for. Personal feelings had to be put aside, as time was playing against him.

"Listen, kid." whispered the elder, stepping towards the cell so close his nose was behind the bars. "I've sent my own children to find this man. They've returned, beaten and mentally broken. I went against the Council, twice, to find out the truth about this man. You _will_ tell me everything you know about him, or I'll make sure you stay here for as long as the Council wants you to. I don't want every single piece of information you have, nor do I want you to betray him. I want the truth."

Cobra stared at Makarov with his eyes slightly widened, clearly shocked by this sudden change in tone. If he said he wasn't taken by by this speech, he'd be a liar. Gulping softly, he figured out he might as well tell enough to keep the old man satisfied.

"Fine. You win, geezer." sighed Cobra, waving his hands in the meantime. "I guess I can spill a bean or two."

Makarov's face relaxed in relief that his stunt did not end up badly. He stepped away from the bars and waited for the prisoner to talk.

"We did fight. He jumped me, Racer and Hoteye in one of our hideouts. We fought, but neither could take down the other. I focused and tried to listen to his heart a little harder than usually, and that's when I realised we were comrades. All of this was one, damn misunderstanding, on both parts. So we just split our ways. That's all. I don't know too much about him, not that I'd tell you anyway. I still consider myself generous for even telling you this."

Makarov frowned. Erza did tell him one of the members of Oracion Seiss had the ability to read thoughts, and that he peeked into her mind, but he never gave it too much thought. One peek into his mind resulted in comradery? Was it even mutual? So many questions, so little time...

"When you listened to him..." started the Master, feeling thin ice under his feet yet again. "What did you hear? What made you think of him as an ally?"

Cobra's eyes squinted, as if he considered whether to respond to this question, or blow it off.

"You really are a persistent old man, aren't ya?" he snorted in response. "Fine. You want to know what I've seen in that thick head of his?"

The Master nodded in anticipation, swallowing his spit slowly.

"A common enemy." he said, grinning mockingly.

"A common enemy?" frowned the Master. "Are you talking about Fairy Tail?"

"No. They are considered taboo, even in the Alliance. Then again, if you release me and other Six Generals out, I can tell you everything about them. What do you say, geezer, wanna learn who I'm talking about?" smirked the man, clearly trying to bargain.

"You know I can't do that. I have no authority to let you out. All I can do is keep my end of the promise, I won't add anything more."

Cobra hesitated for a moment, waging his options. If getting out immediately wasn't an option, getting out earlier was better than nothing. Having decided to talk, Cobra adjusted himsrlf in his seat and spoek out.

"They call themselves Seven Commandments. They are an unofficial fourth leader of Baram Alliance, but they are hated by pretty much everybody. They control almost half of the Alliance, with their roots reaching as far as other guilds' branches. Since they're so despised, none of the guilds wants to even speak to them, let alone fight them. Believe me, they tried. As the name suggests, there's seven of them. No one knows their real names, instead, they use nicknames. Their magics, location, and members are unknown. But there's one thing they don't keep a secret, and that's the reason both us and Salamander want to slaughter them with our own damn hands."

Cobra's voice, previously mocking, was now full of hatred and poison. This sudden change suprised Makarov, making him curious about one certain thing.

"What would that reason be?" asked the tense elder.

Cobra raised his hands yet again, as the chains inbetween his antimagic shackles echoed across the dungeon.

"Let's just say this isn't the first time I was put in chains."

Makarov inhaled through his nose and closed his eyes slowly, seemingly disappointed. But that was not the case, as this small riddle gave him more than he could ever hope for. Previously shattered pieces were now starting to put themselves back together. He looked at his pocket clock, his time almost running out: Mira was about to step out of the courtroom any minute now.

"Thank you, Erik. You have me in your debt." said the tiny mage, bowing to the prisoner.

"One more thing." interrupted Cobra, suprising the elder a little. "It's only a rumor, so don't take it for granted, but I've heard one of them uses mind control. Whether it's true, or not, I leave to ya."

Makarov's eyes widened in shock, as a ridiculous thought formed in his head. No, it couldn't be...But it'd explain everything that happened in past months...

"Why are you telling me this?" asked the elder.

"Normally, I wouldn't say a single word to ya. But, since those bastards are involved, screw my pride. If I can't take care of them myself, I'll let y'all do it. Maybe you'll take out each other, I sure as hell wouldn't mind that."

Makarov smiled awkwardly and shook his head. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." with that said, he started to walk away from the cell.

"I still want Six Generals to be released. Don't you forget it, old man!" shouted Cobra with a smirk, as he watched the elder mage's back getting smaller with each step.

"I will do everything in my power to keep my word. That, I promise you. Goodbye, Erik."

Makarov waved his hand in farewell and made his way back to the courtroom, restoring all the fallen guards back to normal. His mind was a mess, cut links and thoughts circling all over his brain. He was both glad and scared at the same time - glad, that his hunch regarding Salamander was seemingly correct, but scared that yet another problem has emerged. A problem he had no hopes of dealing with on his own. The truly dangerous times have yet to come.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

Jolene knocked on the heavy, wooden door leading to a personal chamber. Her whole body was tense, mixed feelings clutching her speeding heart. She hated bringing news like this one, especially with upcoming events putting everyone on the edge. She's known him for years, but that didn't change the fact she was most likely to receive punishment for what she was about to report. It was beyond being not fair.

"Come in." called out a stoic, calm male voice from behind the door.

Gulping loudly, the woman pushed the door and slowly entered the dark room, the windows covered by curtains despite it being the middle of the day. The room was seemingly empty, with only a kingsized bed placed in the middle of the room, and a closet standing by the right wall being the only pieces of furniture in the chamber. A tall, male figure was currently standing inside of the closet, his well toned torso naked, as he searched through his variety of clothing. Jolene just stood there, her eyes glued to his figure, as he looked at her for a second, before returning to his activity.

"I hope you have a justified reason to disturb me, Jolene." he said, sliding his fingers on the sleeve of a silky robe.

Jolene quickly dropped to the floor and kneeled in the doorway, cursing her momentary lack of respect.

"Forgive me, Master, I shouldn't have disturbed your rest. However, I have news that you may consider to be crucial." she said, her usually playful voice replaced by a strained, terrified tone. "Just now, The Body has disobeyed an order and left in search of Salamander. We tried to stop him, but..."

The man stopped caressing his clothing and froze in place for a moment. This little action filled Jolene with pure terror, as she closed her eyes, fully prepared to receive her punishment.

"I see. Thank you for reporting this, Jolene." he whispered and returned to his previous activity. The woman opened her eyes, suprised and raised her head to look at her Master.

"Y-you're not mad, Master?" she asked, suprised and glad she wasn't lashed out on.

The man pulled a dark blue robe off a rack and threw it onto his naked torso, carefully straightening up every crampled spot on the material.

"Our plans are going accordingly, regardless of his insubordination. I have chosen him to be the one to carry out this task long ago. Few hours don't make a difference. Salamander has been crucial to our plans for years now. Normally, he should have been captured months ago, however, it appears none of you seem to respect my words. I guess I should be glad at least one of you has decided to take matters into his own hands. Better late, than never."

Jolene gulped. She told them, she told them many times that they should organize a hunt for this kid. But none of them listened, and now here she was, taking the blame for those morons.

"Is this all you wanted to share with me?" he asked, shifting his head to look at the kneeling female, making her jolt at the sound of his voice.

"Yes, Master."

"Very well. You are free to leave."

Jolene bowed once again and rose up from her knees, ready to leave the room.

"Oh, I almost forgot." said the man, making the woman freeze in her spot. "Retrieve Luppi immediately. We are about to move into the final stage of the operation. His presence here is crucial and necessary."

The brunette sighed in relief in her thoughts and turned around to bow to her Master for the last time.

"As you wish, Master Silva."

With that said, she closed the door and put her back against it, sliding to the floor. A loud sigh of relief escaped her mouth, as she just sat there, glad to be in one piece.

"Be careful, Grigol." she whispered to herself, her tone worried, as she looked at the nearest window.

* * *

Makarov reached his destination just in time, as just when he walked around the corner, the door to the courtroom opened, with Mirajane, still transformed into Erza, walking out of the room, her hands now free.

"How was it?" asked the Master.

"Property damage and insubordination. They've given me a fine and community work, nothing about jail, though." responded Mira, dropping any signs of her previous act.

"I see. You think they've caught on?" he whispered so that she was the only one to hear him.

"No. They wouldn't have let me out if they did."

"Good point."

Makarov placed his hand on Mira's and pulled it, telling her to kneel down. The female blinked in suprise, but lowered her figure, as Makarov reached out to her ear.

"Head back to the guild immediately. Don't wait for me. Once you're a safe distance away from here, change back into your own clothes and undo the magic. Don't go back for me, just head back home. Got it?"

Mira's eyes widened, as she looked into Makarov's old eyes. "What's going on?" she asked, only to feel his finger on her lips.

"No questions. Do as I say."

It took her a while, but ultimately she nodded and risen up from her knees. Makarov gave her a gentle nod and focused on two guards who approached him, carrying the same set of handcuffs they've put on Mira 30 minutes earlier.

"I'm not wearing that." Makarov shot them down almost immediately, making the guards unsettled.

"But, sir, this is the law..." started one of them, with the other one nodding eagerly, however Makarov's raised eyebrows were too convincing for both of them, and they gave up trying to bind the elder. With small sighs, they pointed towards the courtroom with their spears and accompanied the Master, who gracefully made his way into the room.

Upon entering it, the door behind him was quickly closed and blocked with a wooden bar from the outside.

 _"This is going to be interesting."_ thought Makarov sarcastically, chuckling to himself as he walked to the wooden railing, ready to take his spot. On his way, he spotted Jura sitting in his seat. The man nodded lightly to the Master, who slowly blinked back in response.

"Makarov Dreyar. One of Ten Wizard Saints and Master of Fairy Tail. You have been summoned here under suspicion of conspiring against the Council and the world of magic. Do you swear to tell truth, and only the truth?" asked Gran Doma, his voice echoing across the room.

 _"So this is how they're going to play this out."_ thought Makarov, smiling sarcastically. "I do." he replied shortly, more amused than worried.

"Very well. Let us begin."

The Chairman sat down in his throne-like chair and extended his right hand, waiting for a Council member to pass a pile of papers in his direction. Upon receiving them, he flipped few pages and cleared his throat, before speaking out.

"On November 16th, the Council has decided to put a bounty on the individual called Salamander. You, and 11 other Guild Masters have been asked and have agreed to cooperate with the Council on this matter. You have been instructed to wait 48 hours after the official decision. You, on the other hand, have broken this rule and sent your guildmembers to fight Salamander not even 24 hours after the meeting. This was a clear act of insubordination and violation of the Council's trust. Your guildmembers are guilty of destroying Blackhill Village, to the point where rebuilding may be impossible. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Muttering echoed across the courtroom, as present wizards whispered to each other.

"I can't deny any of that. However, I had nothing but good interest in mind. This bounty has caused more harm than good. Even as we speak, S-Class mages battle each other in order to get rid of their competition. Instead of uniting against common enemy, they jump to each other's throats. At least two guilds have destroyed each other in a meaningless battle, every single one of them blinded with money. Is this what the Council had in mind?"

Some whispers have reached the elders ears yet again, the Council members seemingly outraged by his accusations.

"And what of _Dragon Claw_? My kids have managed to solve a problem that suprisingly passed right through the Council's fingers on multiple ocassions, I'm sure it somewhat redeems their "crimes"?" noted Makarov, sarcastically toning the last word and carefully observing Gran Doma's face. He felt his lips move on their own, turning into a small smile, as apparently he hit the mark, with the Chairman's face becoming slightly unsettled, even if for a moment.

"The incident with Dragon Claw was a terrible and unforgivable mistake on Council's part. Necessary matters will be put to action very soon. Changes and reforms are needed, so that we can avoid incidents like this in the future. Everything for the better good of world of magic. As for the current situation between the guilds, everything is under control. Your guild was the main reason behind these riots. Violence breeds violence." retorted the Chairman, his voice slightly wavering.

"Yes, of course. How rude of me. Violence was definitely not in your mind when you compared that boy to a thorn that has to be "ripped out"." pointed Makarov ironically. He was getting more confident with each exchange between him and the Chairman.

The Chairman's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he threw away the papers he kept in his hand and smashed his staff into the floor.

"This meaningless discussion is over. Makarov Dreyar - do you confess to your crimes?"

Makarov closed his eyes and slowly exhaled through his nose. "I have known you for years, Chairman. We had our differences, but I've always respected you. However, for the past couple months, I felt like I was talking to a different man. I'm sure it's just my imagination, though."

The elder opened his eyes, only to be met with Gran Doma's scared face. People present in the room never would have caught it, but not Makarov. He was now sure of his biggest fears and it was time to burn them into ashes.

"Do you confess?" asked Gran Doma, articulating each word with more force than the previous one. His lost composure was now emerging like an empty plastic bottle thrown into the ocean.

"Yes, I confess. I confess to my crimes. I confess to trying to prevent a disaster from happening, and I confess to being blind. Blind to what was happening righr before my eyes for so long."

The Chairman stood up from his seat and smashed his staff into the ground. "Makarov Dreyar. You are pledged guilty of your crimes. You are hereby sentenced to be put in jail, where you will await your sentence. Guards, seize him!"

All the guards saluted to the Chairman and pointed their magic spears at the tiny mage, slowly closing the distance. Majority of the present mages loudly expressed their approval of Makarov's arrest, some of them standing up from their seats. The Master did not budge from his spot, however, as he just glared daggers at the Chairman.

"I don't know who you are, but you have made a terrible mistake. Whatever it is you're planning, Fairy Tail will put a stop to it. Mark my words, Seven Commandments."

Gran Doma was now terrified, as he yelled to the present wizards to assist in Makarov's arrest. Everyone except Jura and Yajima have risen from their seats, ready to seize the tiny mage. The Master, however, raised his right hand and used his Titan Magic to increase its size, before smashing it into the floor beneath him, as he fell down along with the rubble.

"Why haven't you chained him up?! After him! Don't let him escape!" yelled a Councilwoman standing next to Yajima, who bowed his head sorrowly. _"Now you've done it, Macky."_

Jura stared at the Chairman, his eyes squinted. Despite all the commotion, Makarov's last words did not escape his ears, as the pieces started to put themselves in the Tenth Saint's head.

"I will help in the search. Excuse me." he said, bowing to the Chairman as he made his way down the wooden stand.

The Chairman didn't even notice the Saint leaving, as he struck the floor with his staff, silencing the commotion.

"I hereby disband Fairy Tail! All of their members shall be taken into custody and judged accordingly. It is time we get rid of the main source of all our problems. Today is the day we purge the world of magic off its filth!"

Chanting erupted in the courtroom, as the mages have expressed their joy over the Chairman's decision. Each and every single one of them has awaited this day.

 _"This is bad. I have to get rid of them as soon as possible Master will not forgive me this failure."_ thought Luppi in Gran Doma's chambers, blood flowing down his hand, as he bit his thumb nail through in frustration. "The time to purge this world has come."

* * *

 **2 hours later, Magnolia, Fairy Tail Guild**

After a long and unpleasant journey, Erza has finally made her way back home. Her stomach wound was still causing her trouble, as she was forced to support herself even after her long train ride, but it was much better than day before. It was late afternoon, but she was sure someone was still at the guild. Limping with her trusty spear, she pushed the door and entered the so familiar building, the feeling of home hitting her right in the entrance.

"I'm back!" she exclaimed to the present members, gaining their attention.

"Erza! What happened to you?!" a worried voice called out to her, as Lucy ran up to the knight, quickly taking her arm and wrapping it over her shoulders.

"Little trouble on the road, nothing to worry about." she smiled at the blonde reassuringly. "It seems my wounds haven't healed as well as I expected them to be."

"Let's have Wendy take a look at you." said Lucy, supporting Erza to her table, where Gray, Wendy and Juvia were sitting, all three of them playing cards. Upon hearing their footsteps, Gray raised his head lazily to take in Erza's figure with his eyes, only to drop them back to his cards after a moment.

"Welcome back. Enjoyed your vacation?" he asked sarcastically, throwing some cards on the table.

"As a matter of fact, I did." retorted the knight, slightly suprising the Maker mage. "Is Master here?" she asked, aiming the question at Lucy.

"No. He left for your trials, with Mira disguised as you. We tried to stop him but..."

Lucy stopped talking as she felt an iron grip on her arm, yelping in pain. "Erza, it hurts!"

"He did what?! How could he do something this irresponsible?!" she asked no one in particular, outraged.

"You weren't back, so he had to manage. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself." shrugged Gray, continuing his game.

Erza looked at his raven head with suprising hostility.

"Is there a problem? You've been pretty bold as of late, Gray." she asked in a low, scary tone.

Gray threw his cards onto the table with unnecessarily high strength and turned around to look at the redhead.

"Yes, there is. Your lack of trust in us. That's the problem."

Erza's eyes widened in suprise. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice losing its previous sharpness.

"I know you went after that guy. He's the one who did that to you, wasn't he?" he asked, pointing at her stomach with his chin. "You should have told us, even if you wanted to go alone. All you talk about is trust, yet here you are, doing things behind our backs. I'm sick and tired of you keeping secrets from us."

Erza sighed heavily and slowly took a seat right next to Juvia, who desperately tried to focus on her cards, not wanting anything to do with this conversation.

"Everyone has secrets, Gray. That's what makes us human. But don't misunderstand me, I just needed some time alone. This..." she gently patted her left side "was my own stupidity catching up to me. I am not keeping anything from you. We're a team, aren't we?"

Gray's scowl weakened at the sight of her smile, even if only a little. "Yeah. We are." He scratched his head and growled quietly. "Sorry. I'm still frustrated about that whole thing."

"Don't be. I understand you well enough. I think we all do." responded Erza, putting her armored hand on his shoulder. Deep inside, it hurt her that she had to resort to lies, again. But she couldn't share this with anyone, not even Master. This was something she had to deal with on her own. Her possible connection to Natsu was too personal to be exposed, even to her friends.

"Wendy?" she called out to the tiny Dragon Slayer, who tried to copy Juvia and adorably pretended to not listen. Upon hearing her name being called out, she dropped her act and looked at Erza questionably.

"Could you heal my wound? It's nothing serious, but I'd like to get rid of it as soon as possible. Can you do it?" the knight smiled at her.

"Yes, of course." nodded Wendy.

Erza patted the girl's head and stood up, taking her breastplate off.

"Wai...Erza!" shouted Lucy, watching her friend strip right in the middle of the guild.

With a loud thud, Erza placed her armor on the bench and was now standing in just her black tanktop, laying down on the table. She rolled up her shirt to reveal a purple-yellowish bruise to her friends, making Lucy grimace in disguist.

"What do you think?" Erza asked Wendy, who watched the bruise carefully.

"It doesn't look like anything serious. I'll do my best to heal you as fast as possible!." nodded the girl and brought her hands close to the wound, beginning to heal it seconds later.

 _"There's a storm coming. I can't let anything bring me down. I don't know what, but it's coming, and it will leave a huge impact on all of us."_ thought the knight, as she watched the bruise change colors already. _"Seven Commandments... Whoever they are, this name sounds like trouble. Be careful, Natsu."_

* * *

 **3 AM of November 23rd, a tavern somewhere near Magnolia  
**

Natsu lazily rolled the liquid of his drink around, watching it crash into walls of his glass. With a loud sigh he brought the glass down and slammed it into the wooden counter, startling the bartender, who was currently fighting with a stain on the wodden surface.

"How about you go to sleep, kid? I'm kinda sick of sitting here with you." he said in a stoic, yet irritated voice.

"I don't remember asking you, though." muttered the Dragon Slayer, waving his hand lazily.

"This is my tavern! I can't let you sit here alone, are you crazy?" the bartender raised his eyebrows, shocked with the man's logic.

"Why not?" asked the Dragon Slayer innocently, rendering the man speechless.

The bartender shook his head in defeat and resumed his previous activity, scrubbing the wood with doubled force and mumbling something under his nose. Suddenly, the silence inside of the local was breached, as the sound of opening doors reached the ears of both men. Natsu smirked to himself, glad that the bartender was no longer able to kick him out prematurily. He reached out for his glass and slowly started to lift it to his mouth, the strong smell of the alcohol teasing his enhanced nose.

"Welcome. Is there anything you'd like?" asked the bartender with a fake smile. He clearly wanted to close in for the night.

"A bottle of something strong." replied the new client in a low, manly voice.

Natsu froze in place, his hand stopped right in front of his mouth. His eyes widened in shock, his grip tightening as the glass started to crack. He knew this voice. He'd have recognized it anywhere. No matter how hard he tried, this voice still haunted him in his dreams to this day.

The man walked up to the nearby table and sat down, his back just one meter away from Natsu's. The Dragon Slayer gently placed down the remains of his glass, its contents spilled all over the counter.

"Here you go." said the bartender, bringing a bottle to the client's table. He grabbed the bottle and opened it with his teeth, chugging down half of it in one go. After a short while he lowered his drink and sighed in relief, before speaking out.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Natsu's previously tense body loosened up, an unfamiliar feeling filling his chest. "Seven years, to be exact."

"That sure is long." whistled the man in response.

The atmosphere inside of the tavern was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both men remained in their seats, their backs turned against each other.

"You've found me rather easily. What gave me away?" asked Natsu, not recognizing his own voice.

"A giant pile of rubble that used to belong to my subordinates."

The man grabbed his bottle and emptied it in one go, slamming it into the table when finished.

"It's amazing how one little prick that managed to escape from us turned out to cause this much trouble. I should be angry, but instead I'm impressed. Ya really know how to fuck with people, don't ya, Salamander?" asked the man, his grip on his bottle increasing with each word.

"So I've been told. But you won't have to worry about that any longer."

The man turned around, looking at the back of Natsu's head questionably.

"Because you're not leaving this place alive." hissed the Dragon Slayer, feeling every single bit of his reason being overshadowed by rage.

The man snorted lightly in response. "You really are funny."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, both men kicked their seats and turned around, their fists clashing with incredible strength. A powerful shockwave erupted inside of the local, pushing and breaking the wooden furniture, with the bartender being sent flying into his display of liquor, as he crashed into the bottles, breaking them all.

Natsu felt himself being pushed back, losing the power struggle. His right leg was lifted off the ground, his figure thrown off balance. His opponent didn't waste time, as he was already pulling his left arm back, ready to strike again. His punch cut the air, as it missed Natsu's head just barely, with the Dragon Slayer slipping his head to his right, as he brought his leg down and let it pull his body along with it. The punch was so strong it sent a whirpool of air, which crashed through the wall of the tavern, leaving a giant hole in it.

Using this chance, Natsu stepped in and pulled his left arm back, flames covering his fist.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!**_

He smashed his attack right into the man's stomach, pushing him back a little. However, the attack didn't fully go through, as it was stopped by the mountain of muscles that was standing in front of him.

"Weak." whispered the man, shocking Natsu. "Way too weak!" he repeated, yelling, as he bounced Natsu's fist away with his stomach, knocking him completely off balance. Using this moment, his opponent quickly shifted his weight on his feet and extended his right arm at hip level, seemingly aiming to hit a right hook on the Dragon Slayer's body.

 ** _LARIAT!_**

The man smashed his extended arm into Salamander's left side, making him gasping for air, as blood found its way through his open mouth. Carrying him with his arm alone, the man turned to his left, before giving one final push to his attack, as he sent the Dragon Slayer flying, making him crash through the wall.

Natsu rocketed out of the tavern, rolling on the ground, as he desperately tried to stop himself. Losing any sense of direction, he felt his body come to a halt, with his back smashing into a thick tree, placed several meters away from the local.

"I guess some things never change, no matter how much time passes." taunted the man, as he emerged from the ruins. He was at least 2 meters tall, with green, spiky hair and an enormous, muscled body to go with it. His steps were loud and heavy, as he made his way towards Natsu, who rolled onto his back, sprawling his limbs to the sides.

"I'm supposed to take ya in as fast as possible, but fuck that. I'd rather enjoy myself and beat you into a pulp. Master did say to bring you in one piece, but I guess it doesn't matter if you're missin' a limb or two now, does it?" he licked his lips, which were curved into a wicked smile.

Suddenly, he stopped walking and glued his eyes onto the fallen Dragon Slayer, whose figure started to unnaturally twitch. A sound resembling a chuckle started to come out of his mouth, before he raised his hips upwards and started to laugh into the night sky, his voice echoing all over the nearby forest.

The man simply watched, his face expressing shock, as he continued to follow the Dragon Slayer roll on the ground with his eyes, as he was currently gasping for air from laughter.

"Lost it, haven't ya?" he asked, scratching his head.

With one final laugh, Natsu sighed loudly, slowly getting back up onto his feet.

"Don't get me wrong, Grigol." said the Dragon Slayer, wiping the blood off his face with his sleeve. "I'm just happy, that's all."

Grigol stared to Natsu with shocked eyes, his previous attitude now blown out of the window. It wasn't Salamander's words that shocked him, it was the fact that he stood up after taking one of his attacks as if nothing happened. He heard he got stronger, but this was plain ridiculous.

"This must be my lucky day." continued Natsu, grinning with his bloodied mouth as he slowly made his way towards Grigol "Not only did they finally send one of you after me, but they've sent _you_ of all people. I couldn't have asked for a better gift."

Natsu's body burst in flames, as he stopped few meters before the giant, who was glaring back at the Dragon Slayer.

"I'm all fired up." said Natsu, his face twisted in a horrifying grin.

The battle weighted by many memories was about to begin.

 **To be continued in Chapter 6: A promise**

* * *

 **I'll be honest, I don't like this chapter. Writing it felt really off and I won't blame you if you bash me for it, this time for real. It contains some plot points that are really necessary, but I just couldn't find the right way to write them. Next chapters will be much better, that, I promise you. Chapters 6-10 are already planned out, with some of the sequences already written and ready to be pasted into the story. This is how I'll redeem myself. As always, let me know what you think in reviews and stay awesome!**


	6. A Promise

**Welcome to Chapter 6. Probably the darkest chapter I've written(yet). Without further due, enjoy!**

* * *

"You're fired up?"

Grigol stared at Natsu, veins popping on his forehead, as he gripped his fist in pure anger. This little punk dared to oppose one of the Seven Commandments? The sheer thought made his blood boil: no one just took one of his attacks head on and just shrugged them off as if nothing happened.

The Dragon Slayer, on the other hand, continued to stare into Grigol's eyes, grinning wickedly. His flames burned the grass beneath his feet and mercilessly heated up the previously cold, night air. He raised his arm and wiped off the remains of blood off his lips, his eyes still glued to Grigol's figure. "Tell me, have you always been this weak? Or is it just me who's gotten that strong?" he asked mockingly.

The man was on his limit, his body shaking from anger. "The fact that I can't kill ya is the only thing preventing me from bashin' your head into the ground, brat." he hissed, raising his fist. "My name has been given to me along with this magic by Master Silva himself. Calling my fists weak is equal to insulting Master himself. For this, I will break every single bone in your body and drag your half dead ass back where it belongs."

The only response he received was Natsu's chuckle, who bent his knees gently and extended his pivot foot, ready to dash.

"On my honor as **6th Commandment: The Body** , I will take you down, Salamander!" yelled Grigol, throwing his right arm back.

The man quickly stepped in, suprising Natsu, and brought his fist downwards. The Dragon Slayer backstepped at the last second, dodging the blow, as Grigol smashed his hand into the ground beneath both men. The soil split and a small tremor shook the area, cracks appearing on the ground around them. With Grigol's fist seemingly stuck, Natsu decided to use this chance and kicked the ground, pulling back his fist, ready to strike back.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S...**_

Seeing through this move, the giant quickly ripped his arm out of the ground and sent chunks of the ground flying towards Natsu, who had to stop his attack and raise both of his arms towards his face and chest to guard himself from pieces of soil, rocks and mud. Using this chance, Grigol quickly closed the distance between him and Natsu and threw a left straight, aiming for the Dragon Slayer's face. His attack caught Salamander off guard, as his eyes widened in shock, with a giant fist just mere millimeters in front of his nose. Using both his instincts and reflexes to push his body past its absolute limits of agility, he managed to lean backwards at the last possible moment and dodge the strike, which went few centimeters above his nose.

The force of this punch was so great, it sent a whirlpool of air towards a tree and left a giant dent in its trunk, breaking it like a twig. Gulping in fear, Natsu leaned back even more and touched the ground with his hands, pushing the surface beneath to jump backwards and land on his feet, only to see Grigol's face in front of his, as the man pulled his right arm back, ready to strike again. Having no chance of dodging this blow and with his legs still off the ground, Natsu brought up his arms and blocked the blow, his own forearms squashing his nose. The Dragon Slayer was sent flying, his nose leaving a river of blood in the air and his back getting scratched by all the branches and leaves he's passed through. Feeling tired of being thrown around, Natsu backflipped in the air and smashed his feet into a tree, coming to a halt. He pushed it with his legs as hard as he could and launched himself towards Grigol like a missile, igniting his fists in the meantime. But before he could even see his opponent, he was met with a ripped out tree flying in his direction. Terror grasping his chest, he extended his right arm to the side and launched a powerful fireball, its recoil changing the trajectory of his flight. The log scraped his right temple, but he managed to successfully dodge the collision, with the tree smashing itself into its kin, both breaking into pieces.

Natsu landed on his side and rolled on the ground for a short moment, before quickly shooting back onto his feet and shifting his eyes to Grigol's figure, who was standing in his spot, carefully observing the Dragon Slayer.

 _"He's not giving me any time to think."_ thought Natsu, wiping his bloodied nostrils with his right thumb. " _That power of his makes creating an opening way too frickin' hard. I've already eaten two of those bombs, any more could be dangerous. If I can't get close to him, then..."_

Natsu took a deep, relaxing breath and straightened himself up.

"What's wrong, Salamander? Where did all your confidence go?" taunted Grigol, walking up to Natsu who was standing still in his spot. "I was hoping ya had something to back your words up, but as always, all that comes outta your mouth is barking of a dog."

Not listening to the man's words, the Dragon Slayer focused on his strategy, visualising his attacks. Satisfied with the outcome, he extended his pivot and kicked the ground. charging at Grigol, his fists on fire.

"That's more like it!" yelled the man, dashing as well.

Both men ran towards each other at incredible speed, the ground beneath Grigol shaking from the weight of his steps. With around 20 meters between them, he pulled his arm back and readied a right hook. But his plans were spoiled, as Natsu stopped in his tracks 5 meters away from Grigol and puffed his cheeks out, the air around him heating up to an unbearable temperature.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

The forest was flooded by a sea of fire that came out of the Dragon Slayer's' mouth, scorching flames swallowing The Body as well. The force of this attack was so strong the flames have started to scrape the ground, leaving a shallow crater under their weight. Trees and leaves were reduced to ash almost immediately, with everything on the fire's way becoming a wasteland.

Suddenly, the flames were dispelled, as Grigol covered in light burn marks all over his body flexed his muscles and sprung his previously raised arms to the sides, breaking the attack. Remains of flames spilled all over the area, landing on both the fallen trees and the now scorched ground.

Grigol quickly shifted his gaze onto Natsu's position, only to see a blank space where his figure used to be. Looking around and focusing his hearing, the man started to search for the Dragon Slayer. But he didn't have to look for too long.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!_**

Using his Roar as a cover, Natsu snuck up on the member of Seven Commandments and jumped down from above, placing his open hand on the man's back and unleashing his flames point blank. Flames and smoke erupted from the place he was hit in and created a wall between both men.

 _"This one felt good."_ thought satisfied Natsu, falling to the ground.

Suddenly, the smokescreen has been breached, with Grigol's arm cutting the air like a knife. Not having any time to defend himself, Natsu took the full extent of this blow, with The Body's right arm backfisting his right side, his ribs making an unpleasant sound.

The Dragon Slayer spit up some blood and was sent flying yet again, his back once again receiving a free massage from branches and leaves. Wanting to avoid a collision, Natsu extended his right arm and caught a tree by its trunk, spinning around it, his flexed shoulder and back muscles crying from pain, as he tried to keep his body stay put in one spot. Upon successfully killing the force, he dropped to his knees and breathed deeply, his right side pulsating and biting with enormous pain. He slowly lift up his jacket and took a peek at his ribs: nothing was broken, but the strike heavily crippled his mobility. Moving around at full speed with this injury was next to impossible, his skin already turning dark purple.

"This wasn't worth it..." wheezed out Natsu under his nose.

"That one was juicy." Grigol's voice echoed from behind the smoke. He soon walked out of it, his body basically unscathed. This sight slightly shocked Natsu, who didn't expect his attacks to deal little to no damage. "Don't look so suprised, Natsu. Deep down, you knew this would happen, didn't ya?" he taunted, slowly closing the distance him and Natsu, who was currently getting back up to his feet. "The feeling of your ribs on my knuckles...I need more!" he moaned, licking his right hand.

Grigol's face twisted in a sadistic smile, as he flexed his calves and kicked the ground, dashing at the Dragon Slayer at much higher speed than before. Instead of stepping in as well, Natsu jumped back and spat out a fireball out of his mouth. Both its size and power were nothing when compared to his previous Roar, which resulted in Grigol simply swatting it to the side with the back of his hand. However dealing damage was not a part of Natsu's plan: the fireball was supposed to act as a decoy and allow its caster to hide in the forest. Seeing that his prey was already hidden, The Body stopped in his tracks and breathed out, relaxing his body. He knew Natsu was waiting for a chance to land a sneak attack, it was too obvious. The same trick would never work twice on someone of his caliber.

Several seconds of silence have passed, with Grigol's ears not registering even a single sound, even after closing his eyes to sharpen his focus. Suddenly his eyes shot up wide open, as he quickly turned around in the direction of a freshly picked up sound, with another ball of fire making its way towards him. He clenched his fist and punched the attack, succesfully breaking it. Not even a second later, yet another one was sent in his way, which was broken just like the other ones.

"You're so scared of my power you've decided to hide like a bitch?!" yelled Grigol, looking around in search of a pinkhaired Dragon Slayer. "Come out and fight like a man! You had bigger balls when you were 11!" he continued to taunt his opponent, only to receive silence in return. The man clicked his tongue in irritation, his patience reaching its limits. He bent his knees as low as he could and sprung up, jumping upwards to a ridiculous height. He stayed in the air for a second, before dropping down like a boulder. He smashed into the ground, creating a crater in the place he landed in and cracked the ground around him, causing a small earthquake. All the nearby trees have started to shake and break, with the remaining wildlife flying away in terror out of the leaves. In this chaos, Grigol's ears picked up a weird sound, followed by a grunt. Grinning madly, he turned around to see Natsu, who was currently laying on the ground, his face grimaced from falling onto his wound.

"There ya are." Grigol licked his lips, his sadistic side kicking in with full force. He turned his body around to face the Dragon Slayer with its entirety and started to walk towards him, his speed increasing with each step. Seeing this, Natsu jumped back, keeping his distance.

"Guess we're turning this into a long-ranged fight then?" asked The Body, raising his right arm in the meantime. He put it on chin level and bent his middle finger inwards, grabbing its first knuckle with his thumb afterwards. He flexed his hand and flicked his finger with incredible force, sending a small whirlpool of wind towards Natsu.

Salamander's eyes widened upon seeing the high pressured air making its way towards him and threw himself to the side. The attack smashed itself into a tree, leaving a small crack in its trunk. Natsu didn't have too much time to rest for, as two other whirlpools were now making their way in his direction. He managed to dodge the second one, however he had no such luck with the third and caught the blast with his guard, its force pushing him 2 meters backwards.

With the attack successfully blocked, Natsu lowered his forearms, only to see Grigol's facer in front of his.

"Got ya." mouthed the man before delivering a powerful uppercut to the pinkette's stomach, making him cough up alot of blood. His body became limp and buckled over, with the Commandment's fist being the only thing supporting it and preventing him from falling onto his face.

Grigol pulled his fist out of Natsu's belly and grabbed him by the collar with his other hand, his limp body swinging in the air gently.

"For insulting Master, I should've ripped your arms off, but I guess this will do. Don't disappoint me and _do_ struggle, that's where the real fun is-"

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

Grigol's moment of victory was painfully stolen from him, with Natsu delivering a sharp and compact high right hook, his fist sliding off the man's left temple, across his cheek and right into his jaw. Blood poured out of his freshly opened lip and left eyebrow, his grip on Natsu's collar loosening.

 _"W-what?! He shouldn't be able to move!"_ Grigol panicked in his thoughts.

He tried to counter attack with a left straight, which was nowhere near as strong or fast as his previous attacks. This allowed Natsu to swiftly dodge by slipping his head to his right, as he pulled his left arm back and landed an uppercut on Grigol's stomach, paying him back. The man buckled over, blood leaking through his grit teeth onto Natsu's back. Not wanting to miss this chance, Natsu quickly pulled his hand out, ready to attack once again.

However this time, Grigol was prepared, He parried Natsu's overhand right with one of his own, his strength suddenly returning to its previous level. The Dragon Slayer felt himself being pushed back, but before he could lose the struggle, he willingly jumped back and created some safe distance between him and his opponent. They both took deep breaths, recovering from their damage.

 _"None of my previous attacks worked on him, and yet that halfassed punch messed him up. That counter of his was weak, way too weak, even if I did weaken him. Then again, that followup was just as strong as his previous bombs, and that was after he got nailed with a body blow. Just what the hell is going on..."_ wondered Natsu, calculating the situation.

He replayed the fight in his head, searching for missed clues that could help him solve this mystery. Its scenario was simple: Grigol dashing forwards, throwing some punches and then making Natsu fly in random directions. But his hunch was telling the Dragon Slayer that something was hidden in plain sight. Something simple, something obvious. He once again relived the last clash: flick, whirlpool of air, dash, punch, Natsu's first successfully landed strike, Grigol's weak, missed counter, second landed punch, strong counter. What was the link between last four parts of this puzzle? What could possibly happen in this short period of time...?

And then it clicked.

Natsu's eyes widened in realization, as he straightened himself up and spat up some blood, wiping his bloodied lips that started to curve themselves into an pitiful smile with his sleeve. How could he be blind? How could he miss something so obvious? True, it was still a theory, but if it was right, the fight was already over. If not, then...

Willing to give it a shot anyway, Salamander looked at Grigol, who has already recovered from his injuries. Emptying his lungs slowly through his mouth, Natsu relaxed his body and waited for his opponents next move. He didn't have to wait for long, as The Body charged at him like an enraged bull. Instead of jumping back and creating some distance like before, Natsu stepped in as well and launched himself straight towards the running mountain of muscles.

 ** _DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS:_**

 _1..._

 _ **CRIMSON LOTUS: FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!**_

Without giving him enough time to react, Natsu bombarded Grigol with a barrage of punches, his flaming hands turning into living machineguns. The man was forced to bring up his arms and guard himself, successfully blocking majority of punches that were landing all over his body.

 _2,3,4..._

Due to the sheer amount of strikes, Grigol felt himself being pushed back, with Natsu continuing his rush on the other side of his guard.

 _5,6,7..._

Fed up with being tickled, Grigol flexed his arms and sprung them to the sides, successfully killing Natsu's barrage. The Dragon Slayer was knocked off balance, all his built up force and momentum gone.

 _8..._

With his arms finally free, Grigol took a swing and threw an extended right hook at Salamander's face. The pinkette regained his composure at the last second, ducking under the enormous arm.

 _9..._

With Grigol out of position, Natsu quickly sidestepped to his left and got behind his opponent, his back completely exposed and vulnerable.

 _10._

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S TALON!**_

Flexing his leg as hard as he could, Natsu delivered a powerful middle kick right into Grigol's lower back, his foot sending waves of pain all over his kidneys. The Commandment grunted in pain, his back arching itself.

 _11,12.._.

Grigol quickly turned around, throwing a left backfist in the meantime. Instead of dodging or parrying it, Natsu caught it with his raised left forearm and pushed the man's arm away, immediately following up with a right straight, which found its way towards the man's nose.

 _13,14..._

Grigol's head was blown back, his nose bloodied and heavily burned. With tears in his eyes and fury taking over his mind, he clenched his right fist and swung his body forwards, using the momentum to increase his punch's power. This time, instead of dodging or blocking it, Natsu bent his knees and jumped back, distancing himself from The Body.

 _15_.

The ground shook and cracked when Grigol's fist made contact with the surface beneath. Chunks of the soil rose up from its spot, forcefully pushed out. Natsu landed on a large piece of the ground, losing his balance upon landing for a second. His face was twisted in an evil and satisfied grin: he was right.

"What the hell are ya smirkin' for?!" yelled Grigol, charging at the Dragon Slayer with suprising speed. his fist landing on the pinkette's quickly put up guard. His feet were lifted off the ground once again, as he was sent flying deeper into the forest. Due to constant abuse from Grigol's power, Natsu's arms have started to give up, small cracks forming on their bones, as he grit his teeth in pain while flying through leaves.

Instead of feeling the cold soil beneath his back, Natsu was suprised by the feeling of water creeping through his jacket, as he landed in a small pond. This small body of water muffled and killed the force of his flight, preventing any further injuries. He drifted limply on its surface, the cold water pleasantly cooling off his sore arms, as he stared at the moon, thinking about his next move.

 _"That rush was worth it, thanks to that, I now know his weakness. But using it against him will be tricky. All I need is a few seconds, but how can I distract him?"_

Natsu's brain worked on full throthle, his ears picking up the so familiar sound of Grigol's heavy steps making their way in his direction. He heard him step into a puddle, and that's when a lightbulb light up in the Dragon Slayer's head.

"You really have a gift when it comes to pissing me off, Salamander." huffed Grigol, squeezing his right nostrill and blowing out the other one, a giant, bloody snot launching itself out of his nose. "Is it because of that stupid village? Is that what it's all about?!" he yelled, taunting the Dragon Slayer, who was currently in hiding. Hearing nothing in response, the Commandment decided to continue his mind game.

"Ya know, at first we thought it was cute. A small kid chasing after the most powerful guild in the world - fucking hilarious. But when we started to lose our supply routes and people started to distrust us, that's when it became a problem. We looked for ya, you know? But apparently after spending all these months with us, you became smarter. Or maybe it was your thirst for revenge that poured some oil into that thick head of yours? Then again, I can't really call you smart, not after picking a fight with us. And what was it all for? A couple of orphans and one stupid whore. Ya really are a walking definition of disappointment, no wonder you can't protect those close to ya."

With his rant finished, Grigol focused his ears once again, looking for a sound of a furious Dragon Slayer. But the only response he received was thick steam spreading all over the area, quickly covering all the surroundings.

 _"What a persistent brat. He should have realised by now that smokescreens have no effect on me."_ thought angry Grigol, a vein popping on his forehead. _"But I have to give him some credit, he's not as reckless as he used to be."_

The Body's eyes searched for any kind of movement inside of the steam. his fist ready to strike when needed. Jumping out or leaving the steam could be dangerous - his opponent could be anywhere. It was better to wait for his attack and secure a successful, decisive strike.

Grigol's right ear twitched, as he turned around and saw a fireball making its way towards him. Instead of parrying it like he used to, he simply slipped out of its way and let it pass by. Not even two seconds later, another one made its way through the steam, flying towards the Commandment's abdomen. This time, he jumped over it and landed on the ground, making it shake under his enormous weight.

Those little shenanigans cleared out the mist, greatly increasing Grigol's field of view. With his eyes joining his ears, he resumed his search for Natsu.

"Yo. Looking for me?"

The Body quickly turned around at the sound of Natsu's voice, who was several meters behind him. His face was taken over by a menacing grin, his bloodied teeth exposed in their entirety and his hands planted deep into the ground up to his elbows.

"Game over." he whispered, as the ground started to shake. Grigol looked around in search of the cause of this tremor, but upon seeing nothing, he looked at the Dragon Slayer once again. He glued his eyes on the Dragon Slayer's hands, gears turning themselves inside of his head. Terror grasped his heart when he realised what was happening, his gaze slowly shifting towards his own feet. But before he could react, it already happened.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!**_

A giant tower of purging fire erupted from beneath Grigol, consuming both him and everything on its path. The forest, previously lighted up by the moonlight, was now as bright as during the day, with the tall pillar of fire right in its center. Inside of this pillar was Grigol, flexing his body as hard as he could, trying to endure the scorching flames that were burning his skin. His clothes have already been reduced to ash, the only piece of it being the remains of his pants that somehow avoided the purge. He struggled to keep his breath in check, all of the air currently cut off, his skin hurting more and more with each second. With his body at its limit, Grigol rejoiced in relief, as the fire finally dispelled, allowing him to take a deep, much needed breath. But it was soon sucked in, fear filling his lungs instead.

As soon as the pillar disappeared, Natsu dashed towards Grigol, with his right hand thrown all the way back behind his back. On top of his lit up palm, there was a lightning cracking all over his flames, something The Body knew nothing about.

 _ **LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S FIRING HAMMER!**_

Not giving his opponent any chance to defend himself, Natsu smashed his fist into the man's abdominals, bending him like a pocket knife. His fist submerged itself in Grigol's stomach in its entirety, severely burning the punched place. Flexing his shoulder and back muscles with all his might and roaring loudly, Natsu gave it one final push and sent Grigol flying, pieces of his burned skin glued to the Dragon Slayer's fist. The Body flew through several trees, knocking them down and rolled on the ground afterwards, without even trying to stop himself from crashing into something. This happened pretty soon, his back making contact with an unusually thick tree. He bounced off its bark and spit out alot of blood, before falling onto his face, his previously mighty body now completely robbed out of its strength.

The man desperately gasped for air, a pool of blood that leaked through his mouth forming underneath his chin. Using all the remaining strength of his body, he tried to get up, with little to no success. All he managed to do before he ran out of steam was turn around onto his back. He gently lifted his head up to look at his numb stomach, before feeling his eyes widen in shock.

Instead of his well toned muscles, there was a fist sized, deep hole. There was no blood, as Natsu's fire immediately cauterizing the wound. The inside of said hole was filled with black, charred flesh, with a pink outline spreading around said hole, burned pieces of skin hanging off of the wound.

"10 seconds. That is your limit."

Fear grasped Grigol's heart when he heard these words, with Natsu slowly walking up to the downed man.

"You can use your Body Enhancement Magic for 10 seconds, after that you need to rest for at least 5." he explained, his voice losing any traits of its previous mockery, or confidence. Now, it was filled with poison and pure hatred. "It increases its users physical abilities tenfold. The stronger the users body, the more powerful the result is. You've always been strong, even without your magic. That's why you can cause earthquakes with a single punch."

Grigol's stared at Natsu in shock, unable to believe he figured out what his magic was.

"Don't look so suprised, Grigol. I didn't waste those 7 years, you know. I did some digging. Not just about you, I've figured out most of you by now."

Salamander has finally closed the distance between him and lying Grigol. He stared at the man with cold eyes, his fist clenching itself on its own.

"Before we begin: which arm was it?" he asked in a quiet voice, confusing the man.

"W-what are you talking about?!" he wheezed out in response, his voice overtaken by fear. He felt like he was being stared down by a real dragon.

"Nevermind. I remember now."

In one, swift move, Natsu brought his right leg up and crashed his heel down into Grigol's left elbow, smashing it into pieces. The man screamed out in pain, pieces of his bones planting themselves into the flesh underneath his skin and some of them piercing it, sticking out for the world to see.

"P-please...please, just let me go. I swear, I will never cross you again! I will leave the guild! Just let me go!" he pleaded in horror, tears of pain forming in his eyes. His honor and pride were shattered, along with his body.

Natsu continued to glare at the man, listening to his desperate voice. After a short while, he slowly squatted in front of him, his eyes still glued to Grigol's.

"That's not how it works Grigol." he whispered, slowly shaking his head and raising his eyebrows. His voice was completely stripped off any mercy. "You may not cross me, but you'll cross someone else. I can't let that happen. Not to mention..."

Natsu paused his response and slowly stood back up, leaving Grigol on the edge of breaking down. He stared at the downed man with pure hatred, his pupils turning into slits and his fangs bared.

"I already made you a promise."

Natsu quickly lifted up his leg and brought it down onto Grigol's stomach, his shoe making contact with burned flesh. The man's screams of agony spread all over the forest, echoing through the trees.

"And now you're going to sing for me." whispered Natsu, silenced by Grigol's crying.

* * *

 **Morning of November 23rd, Seven Commandents' HQ.**

A brownhaired woman sat on the edge of a railing of a balcony, looking far into the ocean spreading in front of her. Her eyes burned, both from looking at the gleaming water for so long and lack of sleep. She sighed quietly for tenth time in the last 5 minutes and pinched the bridge of her nose, massaging her sore eyes.

"Trouble sleeping?"

Jolene jumped in her seat, startled by the gentle voice behind her. Turning around, she felt her body relax at the sight of her guest. It was an elderly man of quite high height, clad in black suit pants, brown vest and a white, long sleeved shirt underneath it. His head was covered by middle-length gray hair, with a thick mustache underneath his nose. He watched the woman with his blue eyes carefully, a slight glimpse of concern imprinted on them.

"Arthur...you're back." muttered Jolene before turning back around.

The man sighed and walked up to the woman, placing his hands on the railing right next to her.

"You're worried about Grigol, aren't you?" he asked, receiving a nod in response. "He's always been like that. Charging in without a thought and making us all worry. I understand why you're so concerned about his wellbeing. But has he ever failed a mission?" he asked her once again, this time receiving a shake.

"It's not like that." replied Jolene shortly. "I know he can pull it off. It's just..." The woman paused and gripped the railing harder. "This time, I have a bad feeling about this. That something has happened to him." she finished with a broken voice.

Arthur looked at her, suprised. After a short while he chuckled, irritating Jolene.

"What?!" she asked him, annoyed.

"You should tell him when he gets back." he replied, confusing the woman. "How you feel, that is."

Jolene's face quickly changed color to red, her voice stuck in her throat.

"It's not like that!" she yelled, punching the man in his arm, who laughed in response.

"I jest, I jest, child. " he laughed, massaging his arm. "I know you two have been together ever since you were kids. You're practically siblings. Your concern is natural."

Jolene pouted and shifted her eyes back to the ocean, watching the subtle waves. She wasn't so sure of those feelings herself. Grigol has always taken more missions than the others, and yet she never worried about him even once. But this time was different. She just couldn't shake off that feeling that something terrible has happened. The red sun spreading above the ocean didn't help either.

"If it makes you feel any better." Arthur's words knocked Jolene out of her trance. "I have brought Luppi back. You can head down and greet him, if you wish. He's in the main hall, along with Jellal. I suggest you hurry up, otherwise something disgraceful is bound to happen with those two together."

"Is it time?" she asked, forgetting about her worries for a moment.

"It is." confirmed Arthur, nodding. "All we have to do now is await Grigol's return. I trust he will successfully capture Salamander."

Jolene's eyes narrowed upon hearing this news. After so long, they were finally one step away from fulfilling their dream. She jumped down onto the balcony and looked at the ocean one last time, before getting inside of the building..

Few minutes later, they both found themselves in the main hall. Luppi was sitting by the table, a cup in his hand. On the other end of the table sat Jellal, his legs crossed and a smirk glued to his face.

Luppi lifted his head to look at Jolene, before giving her a weak wave. His face was paler than usually, with a shade of green creeping onto his cheeks. The woman walked up to him and muffled his hair, greeting him.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, restraining herself from teasing him. The longer the distance he had to use his magic on was, the more nauseous he was.

"Like shit." replied the teenager, taking a sip of his drink. "Where's Grigol?" he asked, making Jolene freeze in her spot.

"He's on a mission." replied shortly Arthur, taking a seat as well. Jolene sent him a grateful look, before sitting down herself.

"So, how was your last day in the Council" she asked the teenager, making him frown.

"Way too nerve straining." he replied, making her raise her eyebrows in confusion. "Fairy Tail's Master is onto us, he almost exposed me during his trial."

Jolene's eyes widened in shock. "Please, tell me you got rid of him!" she yelled, standing up from her spot.

The teenager weakly shook his head, greatly distressing his companions.

"He ran away, but I've already taken of the problem. Tomorrow, Fairy Tail will be no more."

Jolene sighed in relief and sat back down. "Atta boy!" she complemented him, patting him on the head.

"Now all we need is Salamander." threw in Jellal from the end of the hall. His words reminded Jolene of her bad feeling, the grip on her cup increasing.

"Yes. We do." she replied weakly before emptying her cup in one go. _"Just get back safe, little brother."_

* * *

 **Early afternoon of November 23rd, Fairy Tail Guild, Magnolia.**

Erza pushed the heavy door leading to the guildhall and entered the building. Usually half empty hall was now completely full, with almost every single member present. They all received a weird and unusual order: to arrive at the guild by noon. Erza's frown that was glued to her face for the past hour deepened even further. Something smelled fishy.

"Erza!" a familiar voice called out to her, her team sitting in the right corner by one table. Unsuprisingly, they were accompanied by Mirajane, Gajeel and Juvia. Ever since the incident in Blackhill Village, they all spent their time together.

"You're finally here! I was about to go get you, you know." said Lucy, scooping on the bench to make some room for Erza. The knight thanked the blonde and sat down.

"Forgive me. I've slept suprisingly long this night." smiled Erza, getting rid of her troubled face. Her eyes noticed Mira staring at her, so she shifted her head to meet the woman's eyes. "I heard you had to take my place at the trial. I'm sorry, Mira."

The Demon waved her hand in response, dismissing the matter.

"Don't sweat it. I was planning on making you pay for making me go through this mess, but what they've given you is far more satisfying." she smirked, confusing the redhead.

"All I can do is trust your words." sighed Erza. "Is Master here?" she asked.

"No. He told me to head back on my own, but he never returned to the guild." Mira shook her head.

"Maybe he got lost in a tavern on his way back?" asked Gray, lazily reading through his magazine. "He always wastes at least one day on his way back."

"Then how come he gathered us here?" asked Lucy. Gray simply shrugged and got back to reading.

"Come to think about it, I was told to come here by Juvia." wondered Mira out loud, looking at the girl.

"I've been told to spread the message by Wakaba." replied Juvia, looking in the man's direction.

"Hey, don't look at me." he raised his hands defensively from a nearby table. "Someone told me to pass it on, so I did."

Erza frowned. Something was definitely not right here. If Master was currently absent, who ordered all the members to gather here? For what purpose?

"It's way too frickin' noisy in here." whined Gajeel, standing up from his seat. "I'm out."

"You're not going to wait for Master? You'll get in trouble." Lucy called to him.

"Like I care." he muttered under his nose, making his way towards the exit.

Just when Gajeel was about to push the door, he noticed that it was way too heavy than it used to.

"What the..." he grunted, pushing the door even harder, only to feel his body being pushed back.

"What's wrong tincan, can't handle the door?" yelled amused Gray, watching the struggling Dragon Slayer in amusement.

"Shut yer trap! Something is blocking the door! Come and see for yourself, stripper!" retorted Gajeel, pushing the door with his shoulder.

Gray sighed and stood up from his seat, with the guildmembers laughing at the scene in the background.

"Fine. Let me teach you how to open the door." said Gray, dragging out the syllables. He pushed Gajeel aside and stood in front of the door. "You extend your hand like this, you put it on the doorknob, and..."

Gray tried to open the door, but failed to do so. His hand was pressing the doorknob as hard as it could, but it didn't do any good. Feeling his cheeks turning red, he tried pushing even harder, with no effect what so ever.

"What's wrong, Gray? You're having trouble with the door as well?" taunted one of the wizards, making the others laugh.

"Shut the hell up! There really is something here! Freed!" he yelled, turning around to look at the green-haired man. "Stop messing around!"

"I am doing no such thing." replied Freed. "Stop pushing your own failures onto me."

"Damn it..." cursed Gray, walking away from the door. "I'll show you then!"

He smashed his fist into his open palm, ready to bust the door open, but before he could use his magic, Gajeel punched it with his iron club. The attack didn't even reach the wood, his hand stuck in the air, which was currently pulsating unnaturally.

"Believe us now, pricks?" hissed Gajeel, killing the laughter.

Erza walked up to the two, curious about their shenanigans.

"What seems to be the problem?" she asked, seeing both males in fighting stances.

"Something's blocking the door." explained shortly Gray, deepening the knight's frown.

The redhead walked up to the door and tried to put her armored hand on its surface, only to get stuck midway through by something solid.

"Is this a barrier?" she asked herself, caressing the wall.

 _"That is exactly right."_

In one, swift motion, all three wizards jumped away from the door, a voice echoing all over the guildhall.

"This voice...Lahar?!" asked Erza loudly.

 _"I have no obligation of responding to this question."_ replied the voice, confirming Erza's question.

"Why the hell have you locked us up?!" asked Gray.

 _"Every member of Fairy Tail is under arrest, be it present, or absent. That is the Council's official decision."_

Gasps of shock filled the hall, followed by outraged voices.

"What did you..." started Gray, only to feel an armored hand on his mouth.

"Let me handle this, Gray." whispered the knight in a commanding voice. The Maker mage nodded slowly, receiving a small smile from the redhead in return.

"What is the meaning of this, Lahar? Why are we under arrest? Is this because of what happened a week ago?" asked Erza.

There was small pause after this question, before the Council member's voice echoed across the hall once again.

 _"Makarov Dreyar has been found guilty of treason against the Council. He fled before being arrested and is currently a fugitive. Fairy Tail has been officially disbanded, with its members sentenced to prison for cooperating with the traitor."_

The guild was now completely silent, everyone gagged by shock. Erza's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this. Master, a traitor? Fairy Tail disbanded? The mere thought of these ridiculous lies stripped her off any restraints, as the knight felt her jaws clenching from anger.

"This is absurd!" she yelled, scaring her friends. "If you want to punish someone, punish me!" she banged on the barrier as hard as she could with each said word.

 _"This matter is closed. You will all remain inside of this barrier until our reinforcements arrive."_ Lahar's voice echoed for the last time, before being cut off. Silence fell inside of the guild, everyone at loss for words.

"Lahar!" roared Erza, smashing into the barrier once again with no effect. She grit her teeth in frustration, her hands sliding off the barrier.

"Freed!" called out Gray. "Can you do something about this barrier?!"

"I'm already on it, Gray." replied the man, his hands analysing the invisible walls "But I don't think I'll be of any use. This magic is far more advanced than my Runes, canceling them may be next to impossible."

"We do know something." a voice echoed across the guild, everyone looking in its direction. It belonged to Levy, who, just like Freed, was checking the barrier out with her hands. "This barrier is a one-way type, meaning that objects, or in our case people trapped inside cannot get out, but anyone and anything can get in at any time."

"I do hear lots of footsteps and voices outside as well." threw in Gajeel, his ear glued to the barrier. "They're dragging something, too. If you ask me, the bastards are planning on gassing us."

"Can't we just bust out of here?" asked Elfman.

"No, we can't. Even if we all strike at once, all we will do is destroy the guild. This is the exact same type of barrier they used on us after our fight with Oracion Seiss. All we can do now is look for a way out or wait for someone to break it from the outside." replied Erza, her voice regaining its composure. Losing her head at time like this was unacceptable.

"We can go to the library and look around, we might find something useful." added Mirajane, receiving approving nods from many members.

"I'll go with you, I'm way better with theory anyway." called Levy.

"Alright. Let's go!"

Mira, Levy and several other guildmembers ran towards the library, leaving the main hall. The remaining members started to look around the guild for any possible holes or cracks in the barrier, their voices getting on top of each other, which caused small chaos.

Erza placed her hand on the barrier once again, thinking about the circumstances that led to this moment. Before her meeting with Natsu, she'd blame herself for this situation. But now, even if she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to feel guilty. Ever since their talk in that cave, she felt some sort of weird connection with the Dragon Slayer, that prevented her of feeling any ill will towards him. But what if she did capture him...?

She shook her head, knocking these thoughts into the back of her mind - right now, she had to focus on getting out of here. Time was limited.

"Has anyone found something?!" she yelled, before stepping into the crowd.

* * *

 **Few hours later**

Unfortunately, Fairy Tail mages have not found anything they could use to break through their prison. Levy and Freed tried everything in their power, before finally hanging their gloves and falling onto the chairs, both exausted. Books and scrolls were thrown around all over the guild, none of them useful. Those less gifted when it came to intelligence tried to break through with brute force, but all they managed to do was damage the guild and receive a punch from Erza as punishment.

"This is beyond annoying, how long are they planning on keeping us here?" asked irritated Mira, kicking the barrier.

"You heard him: they're waiting for more soldiers. They know we'd steam roll them right now." answered Cana, who was currently emptying yet another barrel of booze,

"This is messed up." groaned Gajeel, who was currently lying on a table. He figured that since he can't get out, he might as well sleep through this mess.

"There has to be something we could do..." wondered Lucy, her index finger caressing her chin. "Maybe I could try to summon Virgo?" she asked, directing the question to Erza.

"If even Laxus can't break this barrier, I doubt she can. I'm sorry, Lucy." sighed the knight, pointing at the charred wall with her thumb. The Dragon Slayer was irritated with this situation, to say the least, so he tried to break his way through. The only thing he broke was the left wall of the guild.

"I'm sorry, everyone." apologized Levy, her voice tired. "If only I knew more about this type of magic..."

Lucy and Lisanna immediately ran up to her, trying to comfort her. Erza looked around the guild, a sad frown forming on her face. This situation was heavy on everyone, not only Levy. People were tired, irritated and easy to startle. Not to mention the air supply was much smaller than it was before - with all exits shut down, they were left with the same air they were shut down with. Breathing the same, used air for so long was not healthy, no matter how tough a person was.

Suddenly, Gajeel shot up from his spot, and shifted his head towards the door.

"What's wrong, Gajeel? Smelled something bad?" asked Mira, bored out of her mind.

The Dragon Slayer ignored her and quickly ran up to the door, gluing himself to it.

"More soldiers?" asked Gray, walking up to the man, with Erza and Lucy following him suit.

Gajeel ignored this question as well and put his ear up against the barrier. Seeing that his guildmates opened their mouths, wanting to say something, he put up his hand and silenced them, focusing his ears on what was going on behind the barrier. His sensitive ear picked out something that resembled an explosion, followed by multiple muffled screams. The sounds started to become clearer, creeping towards the door with each couple seconds.

"W-what are you doing, you fiend?! Where did you-" a man screamed, followed by his grunt of pain. This one happened mere few meters away from the guild.

Gajeel's ear twitched and caught the sound of footsteps, walking up to the door. A short moment later, the person was standing right by the door, mere centimeters of the barrier and door separating them and the Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel's eyes have suddenly widened, as he jumped away from the door. "Everyone, get back!" he yelled, startling Erza and her team. The trio jumped back just in time to avoid an explosion, as the door to the guild suddenly blew up with incredible strength. Fire consumed the entrance, with pieces of charred wood and metal flying all over the guildhall, scaring the mages. Some members fell to the ground, the whole building shaking.

"What the hell is going on?!" yelled Cana, falling off the bar counter.

The tremors have finally calmed down, the guild being filled with smoke and dust. Erza, who had Lucy in her arms, let go of the blonde and looked towards the exit, her eyes squinted. Gajeel, who landed on top of a table, looked in the explosion's direction as well and sniffed the air, the smell of burned wood filling his nostrils. But that was not the only smell he picked up, His eyes widened in shock, and his fist clenched, the memories of his previous battle resurfacing with full strength.

"Y-you are..." he growled, baring his teeth.

Erza stared at the newcomer, her face as shocked as Gajeel's. Why was he _here?!_

A man of average build has emerged from the smoke, the defeated and unconscious Rune Knights covering the floor behind him. His face, hands up to his elbows and his previously black jacket were covered in crimson, dried blood. His step was slow and unsteady, as he walked into the guild over the debris. His messy and tousled pink hair covered most of his face, as he searched through the guild with his onyx eyes.

"Salamander!"

 **To be continued in Chapter 7: Alliance.**

* * *

 **So...I tried to expand the main baddies, even if only a little. I'm going to focus on them more in next chapters, but you know me, I suck with dialogue.**

 **I turned this fight into a slugfest, mostly because of Grigol's magic. I didn't want to make him an overpowered powerhouse with no weaknesses, because he'd most likely solo the entire FT Universe with this kind of power. I hope I kept things balanced.**

 **As for the end of this fight...let's just say these two share a certain event in the past. If you're dissatisfied or disappointed with the way I played it out, please, go back and reread Natsu and Erza's talk, where he confesses to her. As I said, I don't put things in this story for no reason.**

 **By the way, we hit over 10,000 views with last chapter. You have no idea how happy I am, I never expected this story to get this much atention.**

 **As always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you in the next one! Make sure to speak your mind out in reviews. Cya!**


	7. Alliance

**Remember what I said about dialogue chapters? I lied. But this one is an info bomb(at least I think it is), so forgive me. Welcome to Chapter 7 and enjoy your read! Be sure to let me know what you think in reviews!**

* * *

"Who is this?"

"He's covered in blood!"

"Did he come here to save us?""

Gasps of shock echoed across the guildhall, with the dust finally settled down. Fairy Tail wizards looked at their new guest with confused and terrified eyes, which were shifting between the bloodied figure of the Dragon Slayer and defeated Rune Knights sprawled all over the floor behind him. After a brief moment of shock, braver members ran up to the front, creating a line of defense, putting up their fists and readying up their magic.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" asked Gray rhetorically, his hands creating an icy mist. "What's up with this blood?! Gajeel?" he asked, shifting his gaze onto the Iron Dragon Slayer for a short moment.

"It's too dry to know for sure, but the way he smells right now, I say it's mixed." growled Gajeel, his right hand turning into a sword. "Bastard's been fightin' someone not too long ago."

Natsu walked up to the group, making nothing out of their hostile welcome. His eyes weren't even entirely focused on the mages in front of him, as they continuously searched all over the guildhall, quickly passing from one face to another. His nose was constantly sniffing the air, taking in the smells of burned wood, smoke from Knights' weapons and people before him. It was painfully obvious he was looking for something. Or _someone_.

Lucy, who was standing behind her friends, stared at Natsu with widened eyes, her mind going through a battle. On one hand, she was terrified of this man. The memories of his heavy, disguisting magic haunted her to this day. But on the other hand, something was dulling this sense of fear. And she knew exactly what it was.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her skirt. Looking down, she noticed Wendy, who was standing behind her, her eyes stuck on the pinkette.

"Lucy, who is this?" she asked in a low, scared voice.

Lucy's eyes narrowed in sadness. She knew that Wendy was more than happy to learn there was yet another Dragon Slayer, other than her, Gajeel and Laxus. But this horrifying display was not what she could've ever expected to see.

The blonde put a hand on the tiny Dragon Slayer's head, gently tousling her hair. "Don't worry, he's not going to hurt us." she said with a smile, hoping that she was right in her thoughts.

Having not found what he was looking for, Natsu stepped in even closer, making the Fairy Tail wizards even more tense. His eyes and nose were working all the time, searching around the guild. He didn't even realise he was mere few meters away from Gray and Gajeel, who were more than ready to throw down with the intruder.

"Natsu!"

A sudden call snapped everyone in the hall out of their trance, as they all looked in the direction of the voice. Natsu's head, previously rotating on his neck and searching through the guild, made a sudden and fast shift at the person the voice belonged to. His eyes slightly softened upon seeing its owner, a long breath making its way out of his nose.

Erza walked out to meet the Dragon Slayer, her armored steps echoing across the now quiet guildhall. She stood right in-between Natsu, Gray and Gajeel and stopped in her tracks, physical telling her friends to stay out of it. But they had none of that.

"Natsu?" repeated Gray, his eyes stuck on the back of the redhead's head. "Since when do you guys know each other by first name? Is this what you were doing in your "free time"? Getting friendly with a criminal?" he snarled, not giving a damn about his tone.

"Stay out of this, Gray." replied shortly Erza, her tone low and commanding.

"Like hell we are." threw in Mirajane, her eyes glued to the enemy Dragon Slayer. "This guy tried to kill us, and you just greet him like nothing happened? Get real!"

"I said, stay out of this!" yelled Erza, turning around to send a quick, commanding glare at her friends that sent chills down everyone's back. This wasn't the usual, scary Erza. This was something much, much more terrifying.

After getting what she wanted, Erza turned back around and looked into Natsu's eyes, questions circling in her mind and sweat running down her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him in a quiet, but not hostile voice. This was one of the main questions she wanted to ask out loud.

Natsu didn't answer immediately. He looked puzzled, confused, maybe even scared. Whatever the reason he came here for was, it wasn't easy for him.

"I need your help." he replied after a short while, his voice tired and heavy. Erza could tell right away that something was weighing him down.

Before she could reply, however, a voice from behind her cut her off.

"You've gotta be shitting me!" yelled Gray, making few steps towards the Dragon Slayer. He got so close he was standing right behind Erza, who had to extend her right arm and put it on his chest to stop him from getting any closer. "After everything you've done, you come to us for help? Stop screwing around!"

"You threw the first blow, remember?" shot back Natsu, his voice sharp and impactful. "Besides, I'm not asking for your help, but Erza's."

Gray inhaled dangerously, his pressure on Erza's arm growing with each second. Natsu's response only made him angrier, same with the rest of the guild.

"I told you to stay back!" yelled Erza, putting her hand on Gray's sternum and pushing him back. The Maker mage took few quick steps back, completely unfazed by Erza's angry aura. His eyes were still focused on Natsu.

The redhead turned around, feeling more irritated than previously. She looked at Laxus, who was standing at the back of the guild, his eyes watching Natsu with a slight note of interest. The knight bit her lip in frustration - with Master gone, he should be the one to take control over the situation, not her.

"What business do you have with me?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, turning back around to face him.

"I'd rather not talk about it in here." he replied shortly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you can share it with all of us, _Natsu-kun_." threw in Mira in a mocking, poisonous voice.

Erza gently grit her teeth at her friends remark, stopping herself from bursting on the Demon. Natsu, on the other hand, was completely not taken by the woman's taunt and kept his eyes on the redhead. The intensity he stared at her with for the past few minutes was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

"You really have big balls, comin' here and all." hissed Gajeel, stepping in as well. "We've got a score to settle, prick."

"Agreed." added Mirajane, punching her open palm.

The situation was getting out of control. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way she'd be able to stop her friends from attacking Natsu. Erza tried her best to push them back with her hands, but even she had a limit of what she could do. Stopping three outraged mages would be hers.

"All of you, stop this at once!"

The sudden yell made everyone jump a little in their spots, many heads turning in the direction of the voice. Erza's eyes widened upon seeing who the scream belonged at, as her brown eyes were now locked on Lucy's figure, her face expressing pure anger and disappointment.

"Have you all lost your minds?!" the blonde asked in raised voice, walking towards her team. "Are you really planning on fighting _here_ , in the guild? Have you forgotten that we were the ones who attacked him, not the other way around?! Are you really this obsessed with personal revenge? Is this how Fairy Tail deals with things?"

Mira, Gray and Gajeel stared at Lucy, their eyes wide.

"You saw what he did to us, Lucy. To Blackhill, to that guild." said Mira quietly, slightly scared of the blonde.

"He also saved those girls from death, or in worse case, being someone's possession." retorted sharply Lucy. "You." she said, shifting her eyes onto the pinkette. He lifted his head up to look at her, his onyx eyes taking in her burning gaze. "You acted under cover and walked down to that basement. You checked up on those girls and told one of them to hang on for a while longer, and that you will save them. Then, you walked back upstairs and destroyed the building. Is that right?"

Mira's eyes widened, her head quickly turning on her neck in the Dragon Slayer's direction. He kept his eyes on the blonde, his face unreadable. After a short while, he gave her a light nod in response, taking his eyes off of her and gluing them to the floor once again.

"If he wanted to genuinely hurt us, he wouldn't have repeatedly asked Erza to let him go in the middle of combat, and he wouldn't have broken us out of this jail. Think with your heads, not fists." she finished in a scolding tone.

This silenced the trio, seemingly stripping them off their will to fight. Taking this as a sign of victory, Erza lowered her raised arm, feeling her friends relax as well, even is only a little. She turned to Lucy and gave her a light nod of acknowledgement, her lips curved in a genuine smile.

"You can tell me here, in front of everyone. Nothing bad will happen, I promise you." she said to the Dragon Slayer, turning back around to face him, her voice calmer.

Natsu's eyes narrowed, as he weighed his options. For some reason, he was hesitant to share his information with the knight. If she hadn't met him few days ago, she'd have thought it was a trap. But for some reason, she was willing to put a small piece of her trust in this man. something that's always been hard for her.

Natsu breathed out loudly and closed his eyes, his previously tense body relaxing. After a short moment, the pinkette opened his eyes, once again locking them on the redhead's figure.

"Seven Commandments. I've found them." he said.

Erza's eyes widened in slight shock. Not few days ago, he confessed to her that he had no trail of those people, that he was walking around in circles. Yet here he was, 2 days later, covered in blood and aware of their whereabouts. The knight looked all over his body, only now fully taking in his appearance - he was in a sorry state. The bandages on his hands were pure red, with pink, swollen skin of his arms peeking out of the remains of his sleeves and bandages, his bones fractured once again. His previously white scarf was now stained in dry blood, its splashes forming bizarre shapes on its previously scaly pattern. His black jacket was tattered and open, revealing his naked torso, with a giant, dark purple bruise so similar to hers covering right side of his upper body. It didn't take a genius to deduct how he managed to acquire this information.

"The Seven what now?" asked Gajeel.

"Seven Commandments." repeated Natsu, shifting his gaze onto the Dragon Slayer. "The most powerful Dark Guild in the Alliance."

"Pretty sure Grimoire Heart holds that spot." threw in Cana from the back of the guild.

"Yeah, I've never seen those guys in the Baram Alliance, and I've looked at this tree quite a few times by now." added Mirajane, her eyes narrowing. "Something smells fishy here."

"That's because they are the tree itself." retorted Natsu tiredly. "They control almost half of the Alliance from the shadows, they are at constant war with the Leaders. They're so strong they could wipe out all three of them if they wanted to."

Mutters of shock and disbelief echoed across the guild. Even Erza was suprised - back in that cave, he never mentioned those people were this dangerous.

"Why should we believe you?" asked Gray. He calmed down, but kept his guard up. "None of us has ever heard of them, and we both know what sort of a reputation you have."

"And why do you know so much about them?" added Gajeel.

"Because I've been chasing them for 7 years now." retorted Natsu, looking into the Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes. "Dragon Claw was one of their outposts and supply points, that's where they took their cargo from. That's why I attacked them."

Gray frowned. "Cargo? Supply point? What the hell are you talking about?"

Blood froze in Erza's veins, gears turning in her head. Dragon Claw was taken down for kidnapping women and keeping them hostage. Natsu knew about her past and sympathized with her. Natsu's character shifted whenever the Commandments were mentioned. Could it be...?

"Slavery." answered the Dragon Slayer in a cold, emotionless voice. "Seven Commandments deal in slavery."

The Maker's eyes widened in shock, just like the rest of the guild. Lucy immediately shifted her worried eyes to Erza's figure, who was currently staring at the floor, panting lightly. Her chest felt heavy, as she brought up her arms to look at them, painful memories resurfacing with full strength. She looked at her wrists, her mind imagining chains locked on her armored hands.

"They've been enslaving people for years now. They don't sell them, or keep them - they use them for labor. They make them work for days, sometimes not letting them sleep. They keep this on until they die, then they replace the corpses with a fresh batch of slaves." continued Natsu.

"How is that possible?" asked Lucy, her mouth covered with her hand. "How can they get away with this?"

"A scary reputation and wide back, ain't that right?" asked Laxus.

Natsu nodded. "No one sane would ever go to war with them. Even if they don't deal with their problems themselves, they have many pawns to use as they please."

"And that's where you step in, right?" asked Mira sarcastically. "You walk around and knock those pawns over?"

"Yeah, especially during recent months. Because this is where their plan comes in." he replied, oblivious to the woman's tone.

"Would you mind letting us in on that plan of theirs as well?" asked a voice, its owner standing in the entrance.

Natsu turned around in his spot, putting his guard up. He noticed a small, elder man standing on the rubble, with several people walking in behind him.

"Master!" exclaimed Lucy, snapping Erza out of her trance. The knight lifted her head and took Makarov's small figure in, hope filling her chest.

"Yo!" grinned Makarov, putting his hand up, as he made his way into the guild, his companions following him. And they were not just any companions.

Jura, Lyon, Sherry and The Trimens walked into the guild along with Makarov, carefully stepping over the destroyed door.

Fairy Tail wizards ran up to Makarov to greet him, all of them expressing their worries over the news about his "treason".

"I'm glad to see you're well." said Erza, walking up to Makarov.

"As if I'd let them lock me in! Pfft!" the man stuck out his tongue, making the knight sweatdrop. It amazed her how his mere presence managed to calm her troubled mind.

Makarov dropped his act and focused his eyes on Natsu, taking in his beaten up form.

"I presume you're the infamous Salamander?" asked the elder.

Natsu did not respond right away, his eyes carefully watching the newcomers. Upon hearing his name, they all looked at him in curiosity and suprise.

"Is this the man our comrades have purposelessly spilled their blood for?" asked Jura in a deep voice.

"He doesn't look that tough to me." remarked Lyon with a cocky smirk.

"You're free to try, I'd be more than glad to see this guy mop the floor with you." retorted Gray, irritating his previous comrade.

"Do not compare me to you, Gray. And stay away, I don't want you to rub off your failure on me."

"What did you say?"

"Enough!" threw in Erza, silencing them both. "Stop acting like children, this is serious!"

With this exchange going on in the background, Natsu and Makarov stared at each other in silence.

"Are you this guild's Master?" asked the Dragon Slayer finally.

"Indeed I am. Fairy Tail's 3rd Master, Makarov Dreyar." replied the elder.

"Salamander." introduced himself Natsu, sticking to his usual name.

Makarov nodded in acknowledgement and walked up to the pinkette, passing by the ruckus. This managed to silence them, as silence fell in the guild once again.

"Now then, I'd like to hear what you have to say. Depending on your words, I may have a piece fitting to your story." said Makarov, adressing Natsu once again.

The Dragon Slayer hesitated, looking at Erza. She gave him a gentle nod, encouraging him that the person he was about to speak to could be trusted. Taking her word for granted, the pinkette decided to spill the beans.

"They kidnap and enslave people, forcing them to work in horrible conditions, usually until they die. They're forcing them to build something out in the ocean, where it wouldn't cause any suspicion or something. Apparently, the construction is massive, possibly the biggest in Fiore, and can be barely seen even from the shore. They used their outposts and supply routes to gather people who would not be looked for, such as orphans, elders, loners, the sick. I've spent last 7 years crushing those routes, effectively slowing them down. The amount of people that died because of them can be counted in thousands, thought, even with my interventions."

Eyes of every person present in the hall were glued to Natsu, all of them watching him carefully.

"How come nobody noticed anything? How could they stay hidden in the shadows for so long?" asked Sherry.

"They've kept so low they were considered a myth." replied Mira. "Is that right?" she asked, directing the question to Natsu.

"Yeah. They started to make appearances only a few years ago, that's how they got their supply routes. Their activity increased by alot in recent months, though. In mere couple months, they've taken over half of Baram Alliance, taking every smaller Dark Guild under their wings, even stealing them from other guilds, such as Oraccion Seiss or Grimoire. This greatly increased their range and amount of victims." replied the Dragon Slayer, his voice getting quieter.

"They kept low for years and suddenly surfaced? It doesn't add up." frowned Lucy.

"You said it." threw in Hibiki, currently searching through his Archive. "There's not a single word about "Seven Commandments" in my archives."

"I think we know the reason behind it." said Makarov, suprising the present mages, with Jura nodding approvingly.

"The Council has been infiltrated. The Chairman's mind was taken over by one of them." he said, shocking the company.

"How is that even possible?" Lyon's eyes widened.

"I don't know." The Saint Wizard shook his head. "But it appears they have found a way to put one of them inside of the Council and cover any irregularities that came afterwards."

"That'd explain why there's such a big reward on this guy's head." said Laxus, joining the discussion, as he pointed at Natsu with his thumb. "It all makes sense now."

"This truly smells like dangerous parfum." added Ichiya, his voice lacking its usual charm.

Erza didn't listen to the discussion, instead thinking over everything she's heard. Her eyes were wide and dry, her mind in constant fight with itself. No matter how hard she tried, it all sounded too convenient, too familiar. She felt metal of her gauntlets bend under her grip, her body trembling.

"You said something about a construction." she said out loud, gaining the attention of everyone present. "What was it?"

The knight wasn't looking in his direction, instead keeping her eyes focused on the floor, as she anticipated the answer in fear. Seeing her like this, Natsu felt his eyes widen as well, as he realised he was not the only one traumatised by this name.

"R-System, other known as Tower of Heaven." he replied quietly, his voice dry.

Erza simply closed her eyes in response, a quiet breath escaping her nose. Gray and Lucy looked at each other in fear, both aware of Erza's connection to the tower. The others, however, frowned on confusion, unfamiliar with the name.

"How did you learn of this?!" asked Jura in raised voice, startling everyone.

"A member of Seven Commandments tried to hunt me down. I've defeated and interrogated him. He's the one who told me about this." replied Natsu.

"And where is this man right now?" asked Makarov with a furrowed brow.

"I killed him." replied the Dragon Slayer shortly after a while. Erza couldn't help but notice the small pinch of disguist in his voice.

Makarov's eyes narrowed sorrowly, as he looked at Grigol's blood that was spilled on the pinkette's clothes. "I see." he responded quietly.

"That's not everything he told me, though." added Salamander. "Apparently, they're planning on using a weapon of some sort. I think it's called Ethur...Eder..."

"Etherion?" finished Makarov, his eyes widening in terror.

"Yeah, that." confirmed Natsu, shaking the elder up to the core. "What's that?"

"A weapon so powerful it can destroy entire nations in one strike." explained Jura, his scared eyes meeting Makarov's. "R-System _and_ Etherion?! We must hurry, Makarov-dono!"

"Agreed." nodded the elder, facing his kids afterwards. "This is a serious matter. We must do everything in our power to stop them. I know this is sudden, but there's no time to waste. If they go through with whatever it is they're planning, there may be no future for us. We'll split into two teams. Me, Elfman, Lisanna, Warren, and Lamia Scale will head towards the Council and stop Etherion's launch. As for the Tower..."

Makarov quickly shot a look at his kids. "Erza, Mira, Gajeel, Gray, Wendy, Lucy, Laxus, Juvia. You will accompany Salamander and defeat those Commandments. If they really want to use Etherion, not only Magnolia, but Fiore itself is in danger. Once again, we form an Alliance to put a stop to evil's plans! Give it all you've got, you brats!"

The mentioned wizards nodded their heads and loudly expressed their approval, some of them more scared than others. Erza, on the other hand, remained silent and kept staring at her hands. She felt someone gently put a hand on her shoulder, only to see Mirajane's white hair with the corner of her eye.

"Relax. You're not going back there as a slave, but as a Fairy Tail wizard, filled with sense of duty. This time, you'll be the one bailing the others out, not the other way around. Instead of feeling down, turn this fear into anger and kick their asses. Let yourself loose on that damn place and cut your binds that tie you to it." she grinned, putting up her fist against Erza's chin.

The redhead couldn't help but smile at her rivals words, her hands finally relaxing. Maybe it was because of who said those words, but she felt a sudden, unusual wave of courage heating her previously terrified mind.

"It's unusual for you to encourage me." she said with a gentle smile.

"Don't get used to it." smirked Mira in response, before walking away. The knight shook her head, still smiling. She wanted to thank the Demon, but knew that if she did that, she'd never hear the end of it.

"Alright everyone, let's head to Hargeon! We can still get a ship!" she exclaimed to her team.

"That won't be necessary, Erza-san." smiled Ichiya, confusing the redhead. "We've already taken care of that." he gestured her to walk out of the guild with him, which she did, along with everyone else.

"T-this is..." she muttered after walking out of the guild, carefully stepping over defeated and still unconscious Rune Knights. Before her stood a familiar giant, magical ship in the shape of a Pegasus.

"Freshly renewed Christina." said the man, pointing at the ship with his arms. "We'll take you to your destination in blink of an eye!"

"What about Etherion?" asked Erza, not convinced whether she should be the one to ride the ship. "Stopping it is much more crucial than our task."

"Do not worry about us, Erza-dono. We will reach the Council in time. Defeating the person controlling the Chairman is of upmost importance, and we have all right to believe he is currently inside of the Tower." replied Jura.

"What he said." added Makarov, opening up the door to his carriage. He stopped in the entrance and took a last look at the Tower Team. "Good luck to all of you. Get back safe."

"You too, Master/Gramps." they said in union, before turning around and getting on board of Christina.

Laxus, who was the last one to get on, stopped in the entrance and turned back, his nose sniffing the air furiously.

"What's wrong?" asked him Wendy, joining him in sniffing.

"Nothing. Just my imagination." he replied, dragging out the syllables, not entirely convinced. Giving up, he entered the ship, patting the girl on his way inside, much to her irritation.

As the ship took off, a cloaked, small figure peeked out of the bushes, placed right next to the guild. They picked out a lacrima our of their sleeve and rubbed it a few times, lighting it up.

"Heavens-sama? I have something important to report." the figure screeched in male voice.

* * *

 **Meanwhile, Tower of Heaven**

Blunt, loud noises of metal striking something hard echoed across the floor, as Arthur made his way down the stairs. With each step he took, the bigger was the pain in his ears, the sound of constant hitting drilling into his head. After a torturous journey, he finally reached his destination, as he opened the door leading to the training room. The smell of metal, sweat and blood filled his nostrils, his gaze narrowing in sadness.

It's been hours since Jolene learned of Grigol's death, and hours since she started hitting the training mannequin. She didn't stop even for a moment, as she continuously stroke her swords into the dummy, tears and rivers of sweat running down her face. The floor was covered in broken, blunt swords, their handles red from blood that leaked from her hands, the wounds she made with constant rubbing of her skin.

"I believe that is enough, Jolene." said the man gently, silenced by the metalic sound.

The brunette ignored him, continuing to move her heavy, tired arms while she panted heavily. Suddenly, she felt her wrists being locked in place, the grip on her hands making her let go of her swords, that fell to the ground with loud thuds.

"You dare use your magic on me, Arthur?" she growled in-between her loud breaths.

"I dare to stop you from acting so recklessly" he replied, letting her go. Jolene had to take few steps forward to regain her balance, as she turned around and glare at Arthur.

"Don't get in my way." she warned him, shaking her head. "I don't care who, I'll kill anyone who's in my way!"

"That is exactly what I call being reckless." retorted the man gracefully.

"Grigol is dead." she said through her teeth, tears forming in her eyes once again. "I've know him since we were children. We've been through everything together, ever since day one. He was my little brother, and now he's gone. He was tortured to death by that little shit that I should have slaughtered when I had the chance. Do you know what he's done to him?" she asked with broken, full of hatred voice.

"No. I haven't seen the body yet." Arthur gently shook his head, his voice quiet.

"He punched a hole in stomach, and then broke his bones, one by one, all of them while he was conscious. He died after 87th one." she continued, breaking down at the end. She brought up her damaged hands and covered her mouth, sobbing into it.

The elder grit his fists and bit his lip in frustration. He was nowhere near as close to the giant as Jolene was, but the loss of his comrade still pained him. He'd gladly take it out on the Dragon Slayer if given a chance, however the circumstances did not allow for such luxury.

"I'm not telling you to forget about this." he started. "That's impossible. But don't lose the sight of what's in front of you. We're one step away from acquiring our peace. Soon, the person responsible for this tragedy will be the reason of our happiness. Grigol would not want you to act this way. You know he's always held you in high regard."

Jolene sniffed and cleaned her nose with the back of her hand. "He'd probably call me a fake and demanded I returned the real me." she muttered.

"Exactly." smiled Arthur. "Seeing how easy it was to talk you out of scraping your hands off, I can see you were aware of that yourself."

He gently took her hand by the wrist and and lead her out of the room. "Come. Let us treat those wounds. We can't have you walking around with these injuries, not with a fight this close."

Jolene blinked. "A fight?"

"I have no reason to doubt that Salamander interrogated Grigol. He's probably aware of our whereabouts, and will come to us on his own. That is why I had Dryden gather our subordinates."

Arthur felt himself pulling the woman, as Jolene stopped in her tracks. He turned around to look at her, her eyes shadowed by her bangs.

"He's coming here?" she asked, her eyes glimpsing dangerously through the brown hair.

"That is what I and Master believe." replied the man.

The woman breathed in, before resuming walking up the stairs. "I'm free to do anything to him as long as he doesn't die, right?" she asked.

"Yes, as long as he's breathing, you're free to do whatever you so desire." confirmed Arthur. "We all are."

Jolene's eyes burned with thirst for revenge, her steps feeling lighter and more energetic.

"I can't wait."

* * *

Luppi made his way up the stairs, to the highest placed chamber in the tower. Cursing the bloody stairs and his lack of stamina in his thoughts, he walked up the last step and pushed the door, entering the dark room.

"You wished to see me, Master Silva?" he asked, kneeling in front of a giant, wooden chair that resembled a throne.

"Yes, I have." replied a stoic, male voice. "You've done your job marvelously, Luppi. I'm proud of you."

The teenager's eyes glimpsed with joy, as he quickly bowed his head, grinning at his feet. "Thank you Master, I'm glad I was..."

"...is what I'd like to say." finished the Master, halting Luppi in his spot. "Your failure in capturing Salamander has been quite impactful on our group, far too impactful for my taste. Grigol's loss is something I never even anticipated, not in a hundred years. Because of your incompetence, he was forced to act on his own record and paid for it with his life."

Luppi was now sweating. "M-master...I do admit I have failed you when it comes to Salamander, but everything else is going according to our plans. As we speak, my puppet is gathering the elders for a last-minute Council meeting. We're ready to fire Etherion."

"What good is Etherion without our most important piece?" asked Silva shortly, scaring the teenager even more.

"There's still time. The Tower is finally complete. All I need is few more days, that's all I ask for."

"You've already lost half of your pawns." retorted Silva. "The stronger half, may I add. How do you plan on capturing someone with those leftovers? Am I supposed to send more of our comrades after this boy? You, perhaps?"

Drops of sweat fell on top of Luppi's hand, as he gulped loudly. "I'd stand no chance." he answered dryly.

"I'm well aware of this fact." Silva's voice echoed like a whip. Luppi closed his eyes, seemingly on terms with his fate.

"I have no more words to defend myself. Please, punish me accordingly." he muttered.

Silva's crimson eyes glimpsed in darkness. "No. Despite this failure, you are not fit to be punished. No matter how angry I am about our lack of Salamander, I cannot neglect all the good work you've done throughout the recent months, and your years spent as **7th Commandment: The Mind.** Keep the elders in check, keep them busy. I will send a scouting party to retrieve our missing piece."

"That won't be necesary." threw in a new voice, belonging to the azure-haired man standing in the doorway.

"What is the meaning of this, Jellal?" asked Silva with a slight frown.

Jellal chuckled gently and made his way through the room, walking up to the throne.

"Kneel, you bastard." hissed Luppi, only to be ignored by the man.

"One of my subordinates has informed me that Salamander, along with Fairy Tail, are headed our way. They are expected to arrive in few hours from now."

Silva's teeth glimpsed in the dark, a smile forming on his face.

"Fate truly is on our side. We must put Grigol's demise aside and move forward. Mourning will come later - when this world is ruled by its righteous King, Zeref."

* * *

 **30 minutes later, Christina.**

After some initial trouble, the team has finally took off towards their destination. Hibiki was currently steering the ship, having downloaded Natsu's knowledge of the Tower's whereabouts, which was not an easy task, due to Natsu's lack of trust in his companions. Only after Erza's intervention, did he finally settle down and allow Hibiki to get what he needed, but not without threatening him that if he touched anything else, he'd burn his hair off. Much to the knight's confusion, Mira and Lucy snickered into their hands while watching this scene, both of them leaving a mental note that they found a way to get through to the Dragon Slayer.

After this incident. Natsu walked out of the room. heading towards the bathroom. His plans were stopped, however, with Erza bringing up Wendy and offering some healing to the wounded Dragon Slayer. Although at first hesitant, he allowed Wendy to heal him and they both headed to other room, where it was less crowded.

Erza was currently standing by the window, looking out into the now dark sky.

"How're you doing?" asked Gray, walking up to stand right beside her.

"Better than I expected." she admitted truthfully. "If I were alone, I'd probably curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep."

Gray gently snorted at this remark, however he quickly regained his composure.

"Listen, Erza..." he began. The knight took her eyes off the window and looked at him curiously. "I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but I know what it's like to deal with your past. You've been there, you saw me. I was a mess, and I would've stayed a mess if it hadn't been for you guys. I know our ways of coping with our past were different: I trained to face Deliora, you took as many dangerous jobs as you could to never have time for yourself and cut yourself off from people. It hurt, I admit it. I've always admired you and working with you was a rare learning experience. And even when you literally tried to kill me for following you, I wanted to accompany you and get stronger, so that I could beat Deliora. But now I know that wasn't the answer, it never will. We don't have to face our problems on our own, not when we have people close to us, who are willing to share that pain with us. That's why I want you to know, that me, Lucy and everyone else is here for you. You don't have to deal with this alone."

Erza listened him finish his monologue with a stoic expression. Seeing no reaction from the redhead, Gray's face turned red, as he looked away from her in embarrassment.

"You know what, forget I said that. I've always sucked at comforting people." he mumbled.

Erza smiled and shook her head. "No, Gray. You're doing a fine job." she said, reaching out for his head and smacking it into her breastplate, embracing him in her famous hug. "Thank you."

The man smiled lightly, despite having his head squeezed by the knight's iron grip. "You're welcome."

Erza let him go and looked around the main room in search of Natsu and Wendy. Just when she was about to go look for them, she spotted Wendy's small figure walking through the door, alone.

"Where's Natsu?" she asked the small Dragon Slayer.

"He said he wanted to stay for a while longer." she replied.

"I see. So, what do you think of him? Were you scared?" asked the knight, genuinely curious of her opinion.

"N-not really." muttered Wendy. "We sat in silence when I was healing him. He stood up when I was done and moved around, thanking me for healing him. I think he was slightly impressed. He then asked me to leave him alone."

"Oh." was all that came out of Erza's mouth. "Well, I'm sure when all of this is over, you'll get a chance to talk properly. You've got alot of things to ask him about, don't you?"

Wendy's face beamed upon hearing these words. "You think so?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes, I'm certain of it." confirmed the knight, tousling Wendy's hair. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Erza squeezed through the door and walked out of the room, walking out to the corridor. Finding the room he was in was not hard, considering only one of them was lightened up on the inside. She started to make her way to the room, weird noises growing in her ears with each step. Frowning, she finally reached the room and stood in the doorway, taking a look inside.

Her eyes registered Natsu, who was buckled over a barrel, as he continuously threw up inhuman amounts of vomit. He was half-naked, his body cleaned off any blood, his dirty clothes currently submerged in water, dried blood coming off due to the liquid. His injuries were almost gone, with a barely noticeable pink outline where his giant bruise used to be, his cuts and fractures closed and patched up.

Erza quickly ran up to him and put her hand on his back, soothingly massaging his well toned muscles.

"Is it your motion sickness?" she asked him in-between his attacks.

"How do you know I have it?" he asked, before putting his head in the barrel once again.

"Gajeel and Laxus have it as well. It probably applies to all Dragon Slayers." she replied with a small smile on her face. "Then again, this ship does not make them sick. Are you okay?"

Natsu took a deep breath and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before responding.

"Yeah, don't worry. I just remembered what I did few hours ago, no biggie."

The knight's eyes narrowed in sadness, as she recalled what he looked like not so long ago. "What the hell happened there?" she asked him.

He looked at her with his tired eyes, his trust issues getting in the way once again.

"One of them found me last night, one I had more history with. We fought. I struggled to find out his weakness, but once I did, I nailed him pretty hard. After that, I lost control. I broke his arm and tortured him, asking for information which he gave me in-between his screams. I broke his bones, one by one, at the same time making sure he didn't pass out. At that time, I felt great. I felt superior, righteous, powerful. But once his screams died down and all I was left with was his blood sticking to my hands, my clothes, my scarf, it all disappeared. It's been replaced by disguist, fear and shock. I thought I was right, I thought I was ready for this. But that's all bullshit. Killing him gave me nothing, no feeling of satisfaction. I just feel more empty than ever. I feel disguisted with myself." he confessed, his fists clenched.

Erza just listened in silence. It felt like listening to herself. What he just described was the way she's been feeling for years. It wasn't the strength or scale of this confession that shocked her this much - it was its accuracy. And just when she thought they couldn't get any more similar, her eyes fell onto his wrists, as they widened in pure shock.

"Natsu..." she began, her voice quiet and strained. "What's that on your hands?"

The Dragon Slayer raised his head to meet her brown eyes, which were locked on his hands. He looked down in search of her discovery, but he didn't have to look for long.

"Oh, those?" he asked, raising his hands. Around both of his wrists ran pink, round and wide scars, their skin wrinkled and deformed, both of them almost identical to Erza's. He smiled sorrowly at the sight, rotating his arm in front of his face to get a better look. "I think we both know what these are from."

"It all makes sense now." she whispered in response, more to herself than Natsu. All pieces of the puzzle she had to deal with for the past 8 days now formed themselves into one.

Hearing her words, Natsu decided to ignore them, knowing they weren't aimed at him. He put his arm down and reached out to the bowl where his clothes were, his right hand locking itself on his scarf, as he pulled it out of the water. "Wanna hear about it?" he asked her so casually he shocked her even more.

"Why would you want to speak of this?" she asked him. "Especially to me, a stranger?"

"Because you can relate, and you wouldn't use it against me." he shrugged, making her jaw drop to the floor. One time, he acted like a startled animal, the other like a far too trusty kid. Just what was going on with this man?

"I'm gonna say it even if you don't want to listen." he said, squeezing the water out of his wet scarf.

"But...why? For what reason?" asked Erza, genuinely confused.

Natsu shook his scarf a couple times, getting rid of any remaining water in the fabric. "As a reminder." he replied, his voice losing its carefreeness. "Every time I start doubting myself, I sit down and relive everything that happened to me. It keeps me going, makes me remember why exactly I'm doing what I'm doing."

 _"That's the complete opposite of me."_ thought Erza with a sad smirk. "Very well. I will listen to your story."

"You don't have to force yourself, you know." he said, wrapping the scarf around his neck,

"I'm not." she ensured him.

"Okay." he replied, sitting down on the floor.

"It all began on July 7th, x777..."

 **To be continued in Chapter 8: Unfinished Business**

* * *

 **Repeat after me: _kemor does not put something in his story without a reason._ Some of you may have grimaced a the Tower's mention, and I can't blame you. But the way it's going to play out will be much, much different than the canon one. The mere fact we have an entire new set of baddies should tell you that.  
**

 **Keeping characters in character was hard in this chapter. It's been a while since I've read/watched FT, so I couldn't remember what would they act like in certain scenarios. I hope I didn't butcher any of them. Especially Lucy putting the guild in its place. There was only one moment where she was scarier than Erza, and it was a gag, so stretching that scene was hard, to say the least.**

 **Natsu's weird "tameness" when it comes to Erza is not because their names are bound together as a ship right under the name of this story. This will be explained in the next chapter, so stay tuned.**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and prepare yourselves for Natsu's backstory. It's gonna be one hell of a ride,. I'm planning on making the chapters longer, so this one may take longer than usual.**

 **Hit me with those reviews like the whore I am and have a nice day!**


	8. Unfinished Business

**Well, welcome to chapter 8, probably the darkest chapter this story has seen. I hope you like it, and as always, let me know what you think in reviews. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Somewhere in Fiore, X777**

 _"It all began on July 7th, X777. My dad, Igneel, suddenly disappeared. I was sleeping on his leg the night before, and when I woke up, he was nowhere to be found. At first, I thought he flied off in search of some food, but after few hours, I started to look for him. This kept on for days."_

For the probably tenth time this day, a pack of birds flied out off a treetop, startled by the same screams that kept on echoing through the forest for days now.

"Igneel, where are you?!" called a young, male voice. It was hoarse and tired, having lost its previous unquestionable energy and loudness.

A young boy, no older than 11 ran through the forest, calling out to his father in pure desperation. His pink hair was messy, even messier than usual, with dry mud and leaves entangled in its locks: he fell so many times, he lost count. His pants were ripped and dirty, barely hanging onto his waist. His naked torso was dusty and scratched, mostly from his falls. The only clean part of his appearance was his white, scaly scarf, miraclously free of any germs and somewhat fresh.

For the umpteenth time this day, his belly grumbled painfully, his stomach sucking itself in from hunger. Since there was no fire around for him to eat, and the animals were both too fast and far to catch, he had to resort to some weird looking berries, which didn't really do any good. The constant feeling of hunger and the lack of sleep crippled his mobility quite heavily, rendering his search much less effective than it could have been.

"Where are you?" whimpered Natsu to himself, tears starting to form in his eyes. He couldn't understand why Igneel left him all alone without saying a word. Did he do something wrong? Was he too much of a trouble to the dragon? His self-blame caused the tears to pour out and flow down his face, as he sobbed quietly.

 _"What did I tell you about crying?"_

Natsu's eyes shot wide open, as he remembered one of his dad's many lectures. If there was one thing Igneel truly disliked about the boy, it was his constant crying and whining.

 _"You're a man, Natsu. Men do not shed tears this easily! Grab a grip of yourself and face your problems with your chest puffed out!"_

Natsu sniffed and wiped his eyes. "I don't have time to cry. I have to find him!" he stated firmly and took a deep breath.

Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up a suspicious sound coming from nearby bushes. He quickly turned his head in the noise's direction, his body tensing up.

"Could it be...?" he asked himself hopefully and sprung towards the noise. "Igneel!" yelled the boy, emerging from the thick bushes. He found himself on a small plain, with two deer calmly eating grass right in the middle of it.

 _"Finally! Food!"_ screamed his brain. Feeling saliva forming in his mouth, Natsu licked his lips and lowered himself, moving to his left, making sure his steps were as muffled as possible. However, after couple steps he stopped in his tracks, rethinking the situation.

 _"But they look so cute... Can I really kill them? I've never done this before..."_ Natsu doubted both himself and his idea. He never had to worry about food, since Igneel always took care of meat on his own, saying that it'd be more effective and less time consuming. He did teach Natsu how to distinguish certain berries from others, which mushrooms to eat and which trees gave good fruit, but this forest had none of that. Since food has always been right under his nose, Natsu never gave where the meat came from a second thought. It always seemed so easy: find an animal, hit it, eat it. But now, seeing the animals up close, the seemingly easy task has become much harder.

His train of thoughts was interrupted by his stomach, which was now convincingly trying to eat itself. Natsu grimaced from the unpleasant feeling and clutched his naked belly with his hand. _"I gotta do it."_ he said in his thoughts and shook his head, trying to clear his doubts.

The deer haven't noticed the boy, as the continued their meal. Feeling sweat forming on his forehead, Natsu carefully put his feet down, making slow but sure steps. He was now mere few meters away from his range, where he could use his magic to catch one of them and fill his belly up.

"Just a little closer..." he muttered, now very close to the animals.

Just when he was about to make his last step, a loud thud echoed throughout the forest, startling the animals. They both raised their heads, then another one hit, making them shook their ears and run off, leaving Natsu behind.

"No, come back!" he yelled after them, reaching out to their figures as they ran through the leaves, disappearing from his sight. "Damn it!" cussed Natsu and kicked the ground in frustration, a small spark of flames coming out of the kicked place. "What is making that noise, anyway?!" he asked no one in particular, puffing his cheeks in frustration.

Natsu didn't get to pout for too long, though, as the thuds were now becoming louder, with their culprit slowly making their way towards the young Dragon Slayer. The leaves split and something terrifying came out, making Natsu open his mouth wide in shock.

A giant, monkey-looking monster came out of the bushes, sniffing the air. He was at least 3 meters tall, with green fur covering majority of his giant body, mostly his long, well muscled arms and legs. His torso, face and hands were purple, his eyes pure white and rid of pupils. The Vulcan noticed Natsu and stared him down with his eyes, his teeth slowly baring themselves.

"W-what the hell is that?!" asked terrified Natsu, making slow steps back.

The monster grinned menacingly and started to make his way towards the Dragon Slayer, who was now trembling. "Get away!" he screamed, waving his tiny, covered in flames fists, hoping to scare the monster off. But that was not the case, as the Vulcan picked up its pace, continuously grinning.

"You're asking for it!" screamed Natsu, as he kicked the ground and rushed the monster, pulling his arm back.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

Natsu's fist made contact with the Vulcan's abdomen, his fire dealing absolutely no damage to the monster. Not giving up, Natsu pulled back his other arm and hit again, again and again, desperately trying to hurt the beast.

Vulcan snickered at the boy's attempts and slapped him with his right arm, making him roll on the ground. Natsu yelped in pain, feeling cold ground, sticks and stones scrape his naked torso and arms, the place he was struck in numb and pulsating. After few meters, Natsu stopped and tried to get up, which came with great difficulty. The monster simply stood in his spot and roared into the sky, pounding his chest with his fists.

Natsu clutched his aching left arm and decided to run away. He mustered all the remaining strength he had and ran through the bushes, the leaves scratching his already hurt skin. The loud, heavy steps that shook the ground indicated that he was being chased, which further fueled his legs.

"What the hell is his problem?!" he yelled in confusion and fear, with the Vulcan slowly but surely closing in.

Just when he thought he'd get caught, Natsu crossed yet another set of bushes and came out right above the edge of a cliff. Before he could register what was going on, he was rolling down the cliff like a ball, guarding his head with his put up arms. Diziness taking over his mind, eventually he stopped thinking, letting himself roll down God knows where. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Natsu's back came in contact with solid, even ground with a loud thud, knocking some air out of his lungs. Exausted, hungry and achy, he stared at the orange sky with his half-closed eyes.

"Dad..." was all he managed to muster, before falling into unconsciousness.

* * *

 _"After wandering around for so long, and getting my ass kicked by that Vulcan, I fell off a cliff and lost consciousness. While I was lying there, I thought it was the end for me. Until I woke up."_

Natsu came down to earth, his eyes slightly twitching as he awoke. The so familiar feeling of cold he was slowly starting to get used to was now replaced by warmness, warmness he hasn't felt in days. His back was lying on something warm, something completely different from cold, muddy and full of stones soil. His sensitive nose picked up a smell that nearly spun his head around, immediately alarming his empty stomach, while his ears were now picking up the sound of running water.. Natsu slowly opened his eyes, his vision initially blurry and his eyes stinging. He narrowed them and blinked a couple times to get rid of the unpleasant feeling, before focusing them on a wooden ceiling that was hanged above his head.

Confused, Natsu sat up in his spot. only to feel a blanket slide off his chest. His eyes widened at the sight of a bed he was currently in, more from shock that he was actually sleeping in one, rather than the fact he switched locations during his sleep.

"Oh, you're awake? Sooner than I expected." said a female, joyful voice.

Natsu immediately jumped to his feet, as he was currently standing on the bed, his fists raised in preparation for combat. He looked around the room and sniffed the air around in search of its owner. He found her pretty soon, deducting that she was right behind the door that lead out of the room.

"Hey, hey, calm down. No one's going to hurt you." this time the voice laughed.

"H-how can you see me?!" asked confused boy, putting his fists down.

"I have a mirror in here, see?" asked the woman, putting her hand in the doorway, as she pointed at a round, small mirror hanged right on the cupboard that was in front of it. "That's how."

The sound of running water came to a stop, followed by a clank. "I'm coming in." she called, before doing so.

A young woman walked through the door, not older than late teens. She was of average height and quite gifted curves, with a joyful face and big, kind blue eyes. Her light red hair reached her shoulders, with her bangs completely covering her left eye. She was wearing a dress, with a blue apron tied on her waist. Overall, she looked like a kind, playful girl.

"Slept well?" she asked him with a smile, disturbing the Dragon Slayer a little.

"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, slightly less afraid of her than previously.

"You don't have to be so afraid, it's not like I'm going to hurt you." she laughed and waved her hand in front of her face. "...yet." she added under her nose, which didn't go unnoticed by Natsu.

"What do you mean, "yet"?!" he yelled, making the woman laugh once again.

"Sorry, sorry! I was just trying to loosen you up. You looked really tense, so I thought you could use some help." she reassured him in-between her laugh.

Natsu blushed in embarrassment, only amusing the girl even further. "Whatever! Who the hell are ya? Where am I?" he asked in a demanding voice.

The woman stopped laughing and quickly put her finger in front of Natsu's eyes, her previously playful expression becoming stern all of a sudden.

"First of all, it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first, before asking for someone's name, and when you do so, you don't say "who the hell are you". Second, when you're asking someone a question, you speak in a polite tone, not the one you used just now." she scolded him. "Let's try that again."

She crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Natsu with her only visible eye, staring him down with anticipation.

"W-well..." began the Dragon Slayer, suddenly slightly scared of the lady. "My name's Natsu...who are you?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow, unsure whether he did a good job.

The woman nodded eagerly in response. "Not bad, but we'll have to work on that.". Her face relaxed, a smile once again finding its way onto her lips. "My name's Marie. pleased to meet you, Natsu."

Natsu sighed lightly in relief. "Where am I?" he asked.

"In my house. I found you last evening when I was going back from the forest, you looked awful. I took you in and patched you up. How did you even end up like that? Where are your parents?" she asked with a frown.

"I was looking for my dad. He disappeared few days ago, so I started to search for him. I couldn't find any food, I was hungry, I lost my shirt and then I found that stupid monkey and tried to fight him, but he was too strong, so I had to run, and then I fell down the cliff and that's the last thing I remember." Natsu said truthfully, holding his chin with his hand to help him remember the last couple of days."

"Hold on one second." threw in Marie, holding her hand on front of her face. "A monkey? You couldn't be possibly talking about a Vulcan? A big, green monkey?"

"Yeah, that one." nodded Natsu, shocking the redhead. "You know him?"

Marie's smile faded away, as her face grew pale. "You fought it?" she asked, finding it difficult to believe his words.

"Yeah. Don't believe me?" he asked with a frown, his pride hurt.

"Grown up men are like children to them, so sorry for not believing you right off the bat." she answered, laughing nervously. "Never mind that, you said you were looking for your dad. Do you remember where you saw him the last time? Maybe we could search for him together."

"Really?!" Natsu jumped up to the girl and grabbed her hand, suprising her a little.

"Of course." she smiled in return. "Can you tell me what he looks like?"

"Sure. He's big, red and has a scar on his right eye."

Marie blinked a few times. "Big? Red? Are you sure you're describing your dad?"

"Yep." nodded Natsu, confusing the girl even further.

"I mean no disrespect, but I've never heard of red humans, so sorry for being so suprised." sweatdropped Marie and scratched her cheek with her finger.

"Igneel's not a human." Natsu shook his head. "He's a dragon."

Marie smiled at Natsu and blinked a couple times, possibly too fast than she should. "Excuse me?" she asked in a quiet, weird sounding voice.

"Igneel's a dragon." repeated Natsu, this time with a frown.

She was about to say something, when she noticed the look in Natsu's eyes. She's been around children for way too long to be fooled by their little lies and stories. But his eyes were different, there was not even a trace of a lie, or imagination behind them. Only pure determination and fire.

"Okay." she sighed, her smile returning to its place. "We'll look for your dad."

Natsu's face beamed, as he jumped out of bed. "Neat! Let's go!" he yelled, before storming towards the exit. He opened it and was blinded, as the morning sun hit his face with all its strength. Squinting, Natsu put up his hand to block the flaming orb and readjusted his eyes, as he looked around.

He was surrounded by few houses, all of them nearly identical to the one he just walked out from. In-between the buildings, there were basic things, such as ropes full of laundry tied to each house, small fields that were currently being tended to by some adults, and lots of children running around, playing and screaming. The village was placed right outside of the forest, the sound of singing birds and woodpeckers reaching Natsu's enhanced ears. Overall, he found it pretty, but something didn't feel quite right.

"Gezz, don't run out like that. Take a look at yourself, from time to time." sighed Marie and forcefully pulled a shirt down Natsu's head. He didn't even protest, instead, he was focused on what was in front of him.

"What is this place?" he asked in a muffled voice, his new shirt stuck on his scarf.

Marie took her eyes off Natsu and looked around the village, her smile deepening even further at the sight. "Sunspear Village. A pretty bizarre name, for a bizarre village."

The boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not convinced by the name. "Hey, don't look at me, I'm not the one who named it." she defended herself, finally winning her fight with Natsu's scarf. "But still, I love this place. I was born here, and so was everyone else."

Natsu hummed quietly in responce and looked at his new shirt. It was plain blue, but since he's never wore blue color before, he found it pretty weird. He looked at himself from couple different angless, as if expecting to find something new and interesting.

"And who might this be?" asked a new, unfamiliar voice that belonged to an elderly man who was currently walking up to the pair.

"Chief!" exclaimed Marie, running up to the elder and offering him her arm.

"How many times have I told you I don't need your help?" he asked irritated, not even fighting the woman's iron grip under his arm.

"And how many times did you fall on your face while walking up these stairs?" she asked in return, receiving quiet grumbling in response.

Marie helped the Chief walk up the stairs, with Natsu waiting on top of them. The Chief was an old man, grey hair sticking out of his hat and grey beard covering majority of his face. He was using a cane to support himself, his back slightly bent over, most likely due to age. He was looking at Natsu with kind, curious eyes.

"So, who is this young scoundrel you've brought to our cozy village?" he asked, directing the question more to Natsu, than Marie.

"I'm Natsu, who are you?" replied the Dragon Slayer.

"I am this village's Chief, Tom. Now, tell me, what is a young man such as yourself doing so far all on his own?" he asked in a kind, old voice.

Before Natsu could open his mouth, Marie interrupted him. "He's looking for his dad." she said, looking at Natsu with eyes that were hoping he picked up the hint. Mentioning dragons to strangers was not the wisest thing to do.

"Well then, I wish you good luck." said Chief. "You're free to stay while you continue your search. Normally, we don't take strangers in, but your situation appears to be pretty dire. Just make sure to not cause any trouble to the villagers, and we'll be fine. Understood?" he asked with a mocked note of intimidation in his voice.

"Yep! Thanks, gramps!" grinned Natsu, completely not phased by the elder's try, making him sigh quietly. "There's something I wanted to ask you, though..." he added, looking around the place. "Where are the adults? Why is there so many children?"

Both the Chief and Marie's faces froze at these questions, before turning into sad frowns. Natsu blinked in confusion at their reaction. "Did I say something weird?"

"They were taken by a sickness." replied Marie with a sad smile. "It happened few years ago. One of our water supplies was contaminated. We lost over half of inhabitants to fever, most of them leaving these children alone. Now, I take care of them. That's why I took you with me." she said, locking her eyes with Natsu's. "You reminded me of them."

"Oh." Natsu shifted his eyes to his feet. "Sorry."

"Don't be. You have every right to be curious. We try not to let it get to us. Their loss still pains us to this day, but we can't afford to stop because of that. We have to keep going, because that's what they'd want us to do." assured him Marie, tousling his hair with her hand. "Those children need me. Need _us_. We have to be strong for them, because no one else will. They're pretty strong on their own, you're about to find out. But in the end, they're still children."

Natsu listened to her with his brow slightly furrowed. "I don't really get it, but if they're strong, then that's fine." he smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"Why don't you go and play with the children?" asked Chief, directing the question to Natsu. "They really wanted to meet you when Marie brought you in."

"I can't. I have to find Igneel." Natsu shook his head, making the elder laugh.

"I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you. Just make sure you remember your way back home."

"In that case, fine."

Natsu quickly jumped off the terrace and ran up to the children, calling out to them and waving his hand in the air.

"He's not going to find him, isn't he?" asked Marie with a sad frown.

"No." the elder replied shortly. "We are disconnected from the world, it's a miracle you even found him. Whoever it is that lost this boy, their reunion will not happen very soon. If it happens at all."

Marie watched Natsu talk to the children, as he passionately talked about something. Judging by their reaction, he must have revealed the indentity of his father, because they started to laugh at him, which made him angry in return.

"For the first time in years, I hope you're wrong." she whispered.

* * *

 _"After being saved by Marie, I stayed in the village. They were very friendly and helpful, keeping their disbelief of Igneel being a dragon to a minimum. They taught me some useful things, such as how to tend a garden, treat minor injuries and hunt. Marie was the one who taught me majority of those things. She was like a big sister to every single kid in the village, and soon after, I started calling her like that as well. During the day, I was helping out the adults, and during afternoons, I searched for Igneel. At first, I was alone, but after some time, I had help. I've made friends with some of the kids, especially a pair of siblings, Theo and Faye. They were really fascinated with my magic, and in exchange of me showing them my flames, they accompanied me on my walks."  
_

"Natsu, don't you think it's time to go back? It's getting dark, Big Sister will get mad!" whined Faye. She was 10 years old. She had dark-blonde hair that reached her shoulder blades and big, green eyes.

"If it gets dark, I'll light our way with my fire, so no worries!" replied Natsu with his trademark grin.

"That's not the problem, lizardboy." threw in Theo, Faye's brother. He was an older version of his sister, with the same hair and eye color as her. He was as old as Natsu, and the oldest kid in the village. "It's not the dark that's scary, it's what comes with it, both here and back home. I'd rather not get attacked by a bear, nor have my head smacked by Big Sis."

"You're both no fun." pouted Natsu, but obediently turned back around. He had to admit, they were pretty far from the village. "Well then, let's go home. Sis's probably waiting for us."

"This guy..." sighed Theo, but followed the Dragon Slayer in suit. "That reminds me, tomorrow Sis promised to take us swimming to that pond we've found few days ago. If we're late, she'll probably make us stay home."

"Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me earlier!" shouted Natsu in Theo's face, making the boy squint.

"Don't yell in my face! Geez..." he groaned, wiping his face off with his sleeve. "It's your fault we're this late, so don't put this on me."

"You're the ones who wanted to help me search, remember? I said I'd be fine on my own, but you just followed me." retorted Natsu with a slight pinch of irritation in his voice.

"We got pretty excited when you told us your dad's a dragon, but now, I don't really buy it. I mean, it's hard not to find a giant dragon in this forest and we've pretty much searched all over it by now."

"But he is!" whined Natsu. "He's the one who taught me magic!"

"So you say, but gramps told us that magic can be taught by people as well. You have no proof your dad's a dragon!" smirked Theo. He liked to tease the Dragon Slayer when he was being irresponsible.

"Whatever!" pouted Natsu and turned back from the boy. "Faye believes me! Right, Faye?"

"Um..." muttered Faye, looking at her brother, who was currently quietly shaking his head with a mischevious smile, telling her to say no. "I'd really like to see one." she finished, disappointing her bother.

"Ha! In your face, Theo!" exclaimed Natsu triumphally, his fist raised in the air in victory.

"Tch." Theo clicked his tongue and shifted his disappointed eyes off his sister. "Traitor."

"W-what did I do?" asked the girl, genuinely concerned. She ran up to her brother, only to trip on a tree root and fall to the ground.

"Ow!" she yelped, trying to get up.

"Faye!" yelled Theo and ran up to his sister. "Are you okay?" he asked, helping her stand up. He grabbed her arm and gently lifted her off the ground, supporting her weight with his body.

"My foot hurts." she winced, carefully setting her foot down on the soil.

"Come on, let's take a look on it. Natsu, can you lend me your flames?"

"Sure." replied Natsu and picked up a stick.

Theo sat his sister down on a nearby log and carefully lifted her leg up. He took her shoe and sock off and laid them to the side. Natsu gently breathed on his stick and lit it up. He then carefully bring it closer to the siblings, lighting her foot up.

"Thankfully, nothing's broken or twisted..." muttered Theo as he examined his sister's foot. "But it's gonna leave a bruise. Guess I'll have to carry you back." he sighed, making the girl blush.

"I'll be fine, you don't have to..." she mumbled embarrassed, looking to the side.

"Yes, I do. It's big brother's duty to protect his little sister!" he exclaimed, hitting his puffed out chest with his fist.

"You wouldn't be protecting me from anything by carrying me, you know..." muttered Faye.

"Of course I would! If I carry you, then nothing will be able to touch you, and you won't trip again. I will protect you from anything, because this is my duty as your brother!" Theo continued his speech, embarrassing his sister even further.

"Hey, can I try something?" asked Natsu, knocking the boy out of his role.

"Try what?" he asked with a light frown, not really fond of the idea. Natsu's "something" usually ended up with something being destroyed.

"Just hold this."

Natsu passed his flaming stick on to Theo, who was still very skeptical, and kneeled in front of Faye. He grabbed her hurt foot with his hand, making the girl grimace in pain.

"Ah, sorry." he said. "Faye, do you trust me?" he asked her.

Faye looked at her brother, who simply shrugged, and shifted her eyes back to Natsu. Slowly, but surely, she nodded.

Natsu replied with a nod of his own and concentrated his magic in his palms and covered Faye's foot with them, suprising the girl. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." he assured her. The girl nodded and relaxed, allowing Natsu to carry out his task.

"What are you doing?" asked Theo with a frown, clearly not fond of what was happening to his sister.

The pinkette ignored him and continued to hover his hands over Faye's foot. After a short while, the girl felt pleasant warmness on her skin that soothed the pain, the heat doing its wonder on the hurt area. It didn't even take two minutes to almost completely take the pain away.

"There. Try to stand up." smiled Natsu, wiping sweat off his forehead. He's always been good with destroying things, so doing stuff that required self-control was something new and tiresome for him.

The girl slowly and carefully moved her foot around, before setting it down on the ground. She grabbed Natsu's shoulder and used him to support herself, pushing him down and standing up to her feet. She gently took her foot off and put it back down a couple times, before smiling in joy. "It barely hurts! What did you do?"

"Sis told me that when something hurts, warming it up makes it feel better." grinned Natsu. "I tried it on myself and it helped, but doing it on someone else is much different. You're actually the first one!"

"So you just used my sister as a guennie pig?" asked Theo, his voice sending shivers down Natsu's spine.

"No!" he tried to defend himself from the angry brother. "I just wanted to help her, that's all!"

"Stop it, big brother!" Faye scolded her brother. "No fighting, or I'll tell Big Sister!"

Natsu laughed at his friend's terified face.

"As if you're in any position to laugh. It's already dark! Sis is gonna kick your ass for this!" yelled Theo, shutting the Dragon Slayer down, who was now sweating. Marie was a very kind and gentle woman, but when she was angry, it was almost as if something was possessing her. Her wrath was the one thing every child and adult in the village has feared.

"But Faye's right... thanks, Natsu. I owe you one." mumbled blushing Theo.

Natsu simply grinned at his red face. "No biggie!"

Despite the successful procedure, Theo refused to let Faye walk back home on her own, and after a much too long battle, the trio finally took off, with embarrassed Faye sprawled all over Theo's back. Their journey went on in silence, since it was pretty dark. Talking could have alarmed animals that were definitely lurking around. They used Natsu's flaming hand as a torch, which was placed inside of a jar, to prevent any leaves or branches from catching fire. Despite being far from home, all three children knew their way around the forest. Even Natsu, who lived here for only few months, knew majority of the forest like his own pocket. Deep in his heart, he knew that there was no way Igneel could still be in this forest, but a part of him refused to give up on the search. His friends sensed it as well, but didn't say anything for his sake. For that, he was extremely grateful.

After 40 minutes of walking, the trio crossed a set of bushes and found themselves standing in front of a giant, familiar boulder. They used it as one of their usual spots to play, meet, or store every interesting thing they've found while skirmishing in-between the trees. It was also very close to the village, only 5 minutes away by foot.

"Wanna switch?" Natsu asked Theo, who was starting to get closer to the ground with each minute. Carrying his sister for so long took its toll on his young back.

"No way in hell. I'm not even tired." replied Theo in a strained voice, clearly forcing himself to remain on his feet.

Faye simply sighed at his words. "I told you I'm fine. Let me go, I'll walk on my own."

"No! I'll get you home safely, just watch!" the boy was too stubborn to give up, as he resumed to walk, his steps slow and heavy.

"I'm afraid if you continue to carry me like that, we won't get home at all."

Natsu simply laughed, as the siblings continued to bicker. Suddenly, his laughter died down in his throat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. His nose sniffed the air after being hit by an unpleasant smell. He quickly rotated his head, searching for its source. It smelled of burned wood, grass and iron. But not the kind of iron that was used by Marie when she prepared meals for the villagers, Natsu knew this smell. It was the smell he was so used to picking up when he used to come back from training back to his and Igneel's cave. It was the smell of blood.

"Theo, Faye, stay here." he commanded them and lit up a couple of sticks, before putting them in the jar. He put it on the ground for the siblings to use and started to run in the village's direction.

"Wait- What's wrong, Natsu?!" Theo yelled after him, utterly confused.

"Something's happening at the village! Hide!" was all they received in response, before the pinkette disappeared behind the bushes.

Natsu ran through the forest, cold, night air filling up his lungs and nose. With each step he could, the smell was getting gradually stronger. Being this close to the village, he could now hear what was happening out there: screams, laughter and crying of children.

The young Dragon Slayer clenched his teeth so hard he cracked one of them, its piece shooting out of his mouth. Panic, anger, confusion and fear started to form in his chest, leaving him with unbearable weight that effectively slowed him down. Blur started to form in the corner of his eyes, his mind taking a trip somewhere else. For a moment, he felt like he was watching what was in front of him through someone else's eyes.

He jumped over the small river and found himself in front of the village's trademark chain of trees.

 _"Behind those trees, there's the village. When I cross them, everything will be fine. This smell and voices are not real, everything will be fine. Please!"_ he desperately pleaded in his thoughts, his feet mere two meters away from the village.

Speeding up, Natsu shot out of the forest, his feet making contact with the village's ground. He shifted his head up and felt his eyes widen in terror, air leaving his lungs.

The village was burning. Every single house was taken by the purging fire, some of them already collapsing. The fields, gardens and trees raised by the villagers were now history, stomped, burned and stained with blood. The ground was filled with bodies of dead adults, tied up children and blood stains.

Natsu watched as a young, brown-haired girl, not older than Marie, put both of her swords through Chief's wife's stomach, lifting her now limp body up in the air and licking her lips sadistically. Her long hair that reached to her lower back flown in the cold wind, giving her a sinister look. He watched a small, azure-haired boy torture a man with his magic, as he shot green beams into his limbs, watching him scream in pain in amusement. He watched as an older man with graying hair, clad in a black suit, held a little girl under his boot and tied her hands behind her back, as she cried for her mommy, who was currently being held by the neck by a blonde-haired man. In one, swift motion, he broke it and threw the woman aside like a doll, listening to her daughter's screams with a small frown of irritation on his face.

Natsu simply stood there and took the picture in, not understanding why it was happening. The entire village was now gone. Everything, and everyone was either destroyed or killed. In the flames, he noticed the Chief, who was staggering towards a tall, silver-haired man, who was currently watching the flaming buildings with sheer fascination.

"Please, stop this madness! We mean you no harm! Take me, but don't harm the children! Please!" he begged, his shaky, old hands grasping the man's coat.

"You!" called the brunette with swords, outraged. "How dare you touch Master Silva with those dirty hands?!" she yelled, running towards both men.

"Halt, Jolene." commanded the man, making the girl stop in her tracks. She sheathed her swords and bowed.

"Forgive me." she said, before turning around and walking in different direction.

The silver-haired man simply looked at the Chief, who was staring at him with furious, teary eyes, before touching his forehead with the index and middle fingers of his right hand.

"You're of no use to me." he said, as the elder's upper body exploded into nothingness, leaving only his lower body, which fell to its knees.

At this sight, Natsu fell onto his knees, tears streaming down his face. This wasn't happening...it couldn't...

"Natsu!" called a voice behind him, shaking him out of his trance.

"Theo, don't come here! Get away!" yelled Natsu, his teary, terrified gaze meeting the siblings' green eyes.

Theo opened his mouth, about to protest, when he noticed the village. His eyes widened in shock and pure horror took over his face, as he started to tremble.

"W-what is this?" he asked quietly. Faye simply watched, the fire reflected in her teary eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand: she spotted Chief's remains.

"We have to get away from here, we're not safe here." said Theo through his gritted teeth. His fear was slowly being replaced by pure anger.

"Bis Sister!" called out Faye and reached out in the village's direction. Both Natsu and Theo turned around at those words.

They noticed a big, muscular man with green hair, who was currently dragging Marie on the ground by her leg. Her head was bleeding, her light-red hair now taking the color of scarlet. She was followed by the children, who desperately tried to free her from the man's iron grip.

"Grigol, what the hell is this supposed to be?" asked the swordswoman.

"I caught them trying to run away. This whore was trying to hide them in a tree trunk. A tree trunk! She must think of us as fools!" exclaimed the man in anger. He stopped walking asnd threw Marie onto the ground, making her lie before him, as she coughed up from getting the wind knocked out of her. "You thought you could make a fool out of Seven Commandments, you bitch?!" the man yelled and brought his leg up, before smashing it into the woman's right arm, breaking it like a twig.

Marie's screams echoed throughout the forest, remains of her bones piercing her skin and blouse. The man grinned sadistically, as he listened to her pain in delight.

"Oh, music to my ears. You're going to sing for me for a while, my lady." he moaned, before lifting his leg once again.

"Stop it!"

He was stopped by a sudden yell coming from the forest. He quickly turned his head around in its direction, before raising his eyebrows mockingly.

Natsu dashed out of his hiding at full speed, his teeth bared and fists clenched. His eyes expressed pure fury, his pupils now barely visible.

"You bastard!" he yelled and pulled back his arm, fire erupting from his fist.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S-_**

His attack was interrupted by a powerful strike to his abdomen. The swordswoman quickly closed the distance between him and the green-haired man and struck him with the handle of her swords. Natsu felt air leaving his body, as big amounts of spit found their way through his now open mouth. He fell to the ground and clutched his aching stomach, struggling to breathe.

"Did this kid just use magic?" asked the man.

"Indeed. And not any ordinary magic, he's using Dragon Slayer Magic." confirmed the older man in a suit.

"What- Isn't that Lost Magic?! Hey, Master!" the swordswoman called out, gaining attention of the silver-haired man. "This kid is a Dragon Slayer! Are you gonna steal his magic?"

The man's eyes slightly widened at her words, as he slowly walked up to Natsu. The boy lifted his head up and met the man's cold eyes with his own, making sure his expressed as much hate as possible.

"No, I am not." denied the man, not taking his eyes away from Natsu's. "I am unable to steal Lost Magic. But this child will prove to be a big stone in our plans. Put him with the others."

Natsu felt himself being picked up by the older man. He had no strength to fight back.

"What about this woman?" asked the green-haired man, turning Marie over with his foot.

"Useless. Kill her."

"No!"

All the adults turned their heads in the voice's direction. Theo, who was now walking up to the commotion, held his hands up in the air, giving himself up.

"How many of them did you let escape? You dumbass!" asked the brunette, smacking the giant with her hand.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill her. Depending on your answer, I will either smash her head under my heel, or let her live. You have five seconds, kid." said the green-haired man, ignoring his comrade.

"You don't need adults, right? You only came here for children. Well, some of them can't live without Big Sis's help. They're too young, and I don't think any of you are going to tend to them, right?" Theo desperately bargained for Marie's survival, his voice shaky from fear, but audible.

The adults simply looked at each other, without saying a word. Taking it as a sign, the boy continued. "Unless you want half of the children to die on the way to wherever you're taking us, you need her."

The silver-haired man walked up to the boy and squatted in front of him. He looked all over his face with his cold, crimson eyes, before smirking lightly.

"You're too smart for you own good, boy." he said. He then stood up and faced his subordinates. "The woman lives until we reach our hideout. Arthur, patch her up. Grigol, find yourself a different toy."

The man in a suit bowed and put Natsu down on the ground. He then walked up to the woman, while the green-haired man clicked his tongue in annoyance and took his foot off her head.

"As for you..." Silva said to the Dragon Slayer, who continued to stare him down. "You piqued my interest. You'd make a fine member of our guild, but unfortunately, we are out of space. You could become our Officer, if you'd like."

"Drop...dead." muttered Natsu in response, greatly amusing the man.

"I knew I'd like you. Jolene, cuff him up. He looks like a troublemaker, and that's the last thing I want on our way back. Round our loot up and tie them together, including that little girl hiding in the bushes over there."

Theo's eyes widened, as Silva pointed in Faye's direction with his thumb. Natsu, who was currently being put in anti-magic handcuffs by Jolene, tried to rip his arms out of her grip, only to get slapped across his face with her right hand.

Faye was dragged out of her hiding by the azure-haired and black-haired boys, who both took one of her arms. She tried to fight them, but they were simply too strong for her fragile body.

"Man, what a shitty night. I didn't even get to enjoy myself. That girl's arm was my only moment in this hunt." whined Grigol.

"You'll pay for this."

Grigol looked at Natsu, who glared at him from the ground. A vein popped on the man's forehead.

"What did you say?" he asked the Dragon Slayer, his fist clenching.

"Not today. Not tomorrow. But I will make you pay for this." hissed Natsu. "I will never forgive you!"

"You dare threaten me? Me?!" yelled Grigol and raised his arm, ready to punch the pinkette.

"Calm down, Grigol." said a blonde-haired man. "You know that if you hurt him, Master will tear you a new one."

Grigol looked at his friend, but complied. "I know, Dryden. I'm just pissed." he sighed.

"Then again, this kid is really annoying." threw in Jolene. "I doubt Master will complain if I do this."

As soon as she ended her sentence, Jolene smacked Natsu in the back of his head with his sword. His eyes lost their focus, as he quickly started to fade into unconsciousness.

"That's much better."

Grigol's laugh was the last thing his ears have registered before passing out.

* * *

"After the destruction of Sunspear Village, Seven Commandments dragged us across the country. As promised, they kept Marie alive. They patched her arm up to the point where it didn't pose any threat to her survival, but it was still not enough. Lack of food, rest and proper hygiene took its toll on all of us. After weeks of wandering, some kids started to get sick, and some of them even died. Obviously, Marie was the one who took all the blame, and as punishment, she became Grigol and Jolene's plaything. I was being kept in chains for the entirety of our trip, much to the Commandments' amusement."

Natsu felt someone kick him in his ribs. It wasn't a hard hit, but it was enough to wake him up from his slumber.

"Wake up. Breakfast. You have five minutes." said Luppi and walked up to the rest of the children, waking them up in the same fashion.

Natsu slowly sit up on the ground and winced in pain. His hands were constantly burning and itching as of late, with blood streaming down to his elbows from under his cuffs. Marie said his hands were slowly becoming one with the binds and if not taken off soon, he could lose his hands due to infection. The only answer she received from her captors was a mocking "We'll think about it."

He looked to his right, where other children were sitting. They all looked awful. Their clothes were now worse than rags, some of them missing parts of their clothing. He spotted Theo and Faye, who sat few meters away from him. The boy was practically naked, his shirt currently hanging on his little sister.

"Here you go." whispered a kind voice. Natsu recognized it right way, it was one of the main things that kept him going. Marie handed him a dry piece of bread, carefully putting it in his hurt hands.

"Thanks, Sis." he grinned weakly, receiving a smile from the woman in return. She looked even worse than the children. During the day, she had to take care of them, and in the evenings, she acted as a servant to the Commandments. She barely had any time to sleep, which could be easily noticed, with her blue eyes now bloodshot, with giant bags placed underneath her lower eyelids.

"Are we going to die?" asked a little girl, her body shaking from her quiet sobbing.

Marie bit her lip in frustration. Truth to be told, she wanted to cry as well, but not for herself. She felt so much grief and sadness at the sight of those poor, innocent children, that her chest was getting heavier and heavier with each day. But right now, she was their only pillar of hope, and she couldn't afford to break down.

"No, of course not." the redhead comforted the girl, hugging her with her healthy arm.

"Someone will save us?" the girl asked with a muffled voice.

Marie hesitated before answering. "I don't know." she replied truthfully, hugging the child even harder.

Natsu grit his teeth at the sight. For the past couple weeks, the only feeling and emotion his mind was managing to register was anger. Pure, clean fury. He clenched his fists, ignoring the pain in his wrists, his teeth bared. _"If only I was stronger, none of this would have happened."_

"Hey, pinkie." called out Grigol, as he walked up to the children, who shook in fear at the sight of him. "Good news, you're losing those cuffs of yours. But I warn you, if you try anything stupid, I'll rip your arms off, understood?"

The Dragon Slayer stared at the man with hatred in his eyes, but nodded his head. "Good boy." smirked Grigol and kneeled in front of Natsu, grabbing a hold of his hands.

Natsu grit his teeth in pain. "Oh, sorry. I forgot." said Grigol, his face not sorry at all. He put the key inside of the cuffs and turned it. The metal clicked, making some room around Natsu's wrists. In one, swift and brutal motion, Grigol ripped the cuffs off Natsu's hands, making him yell out in pain. The anti-magic handcuffs came off, along with the Dragon Slayer's skin, leaving round, crimson wounds all around his wrists.

"Ah. Music to my ears." moaned Grigol and put the cuffs in his back pocket.

Natsu's eyes teared up from the pain. He didn't expect it to hurt so much, but slowly, the pain was starting to weaken. He moved his arms around, making round motions with his stiff shoulders. After warming his sore arms up, he reached out for his bread.

"Bitch, what did I say? Everyone gets the same amount of food, which part of that did you not understand?"

Natsu quickly turned his head in the voice's direction. He noticed Jolene, who was currently standing over Marie and Faye. The swordswoman was holding two pieces of bread, staring the redhead down with hateful eyes.

"This girl is one step away from starving, she can't survive on one piece of bread per day!" Marie tried to reason with the slaver. "Please, she's always been sickly!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I don't care!" hissed Jolene, before kicking Marie in the cheek, The woman fell to the ground, blood splashing onto the ground from her cut lip. "It seems I haven't trained you enough-"

Jolene's threat was interrupted by a flaming punch to her right cheek. Reaching his limit, Natsu launched himself at the woman and caught her by suprise with his **Iron Fist.** The woman took couple steps back, taking in the full extent of the blow. She looked at the Dragon Slayer in shock, her cheek stinging and numb. She felt blood fall onto her shoe and brought her hand up, wiping her bloodied lip with her thumb. At the sight of blood, her face twisted in a horrifying grimace, pure fury taking over her mind.

"You little bastard-"

"Fight me!" roared Natsu, putting up his fists. "Let's end this right here, right now! If I beat you, you let us go!"

Jolene was now about to explode. "You dare make demands to us?! You little shit!" she screamed, dashing at the boy.

"Jolene, wait!" called out a voice, making the woman stop mere centimeters away from Natsu.

Silva stood up from his spot and walked up to the pair. "Master, you can't possibly turn a blind eye on this?" asked the woman.

"I have no intention of doing so, but the boy is right. He has every right to fight for his freedom." replied the Master, confusing his underling. "Boy." he called out to Natsu. "I will grant your wish. You're free to engage Jolene in battle. If you win, I promise to set you and your friends free. If you lose, you will remain with us, and cause no further problems on our journey. Do we have a deal?"

Natsu considered his options. He looked at his friends, who were staring at him with weird looks on their faces. Marie silently shook her head, worry expressed on her face. He looked at Theo, who met his eyes. He nodded with determined eyes, giving Natsu a signal. "We must fight."

Natsu inhaled to calm himself down and shifted his eyes back to Silva. "Deal."

The man smirked coldly. "Very well. Jolene, take over."

The woman broke her neck, keeping her eyes focused on the Dragon Slayer. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Natsu lowered himself and put his arms to his sides.

"Ready?" asked Silva. Both fighters nodded, not taking their eyes off each other. "Go!"

Jolene quickly drew one of her swords and dashed at Natsu. She was up for a suprise, though, as the Dragon Slayer closed the distance as well, not in the woman's range.

"Closing in against a long ranged weapon? A wise choice." Arthur praised the boy with his hand on his chin.

Jolene clicked her tongue in annoyance and slashed at Natsu, who had to literally fall to the ground to avoid being cut. Despite using the element of suprise against her, he was still losing in speed. He quickly rolled over to his back and brought up his knees, before kicking them up. His feet were aimed at the brunette's chin, but instead, they hit her swords, which she brought up to defend herself.

"Damn." whistled Dryden, impressed with the boy's effort. "Seems like both of you have some competition." he said to Jellal and Luppi, who watched the fight with stoic expressions. Luppi merely raised an eyebrow at this statement, while Jellal chuckled in amusement.

 _"This brat..."_ thought Jolene, feeling cold metal under her chin. She quickly swat her blade to the side, knocking the pinkette's legs off her. She regained her position and stabbed Natsu, who rolled out of the blade's way at the last second. He got on all fours 2 meters away, ready to strike back, but instead, he was met with Jolene's foot making contact with his face. He was blown back, his back sliding on the ground. He opened his eyes, only to see his opponent pouncing on top of him, her blade up against his throat.

"Game over." she whispered.

Natsu pressed his throat against the blade, its tip slightly piercing his skin, as a small stream of blood flown down his neck. "Not yet." he growled.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Jolene was consumed by point blank flames, with Natsu blowing his lungs as hard as he could.

 _"I got her!"_ he thought hopefully. However, that was not the case, as suddenly he felt his mouth being grabbed, with a hand emerging from the flames. The hand belonged to Jolene, who stared at the Dragon Slayer with bloodlust in her eyes, very light burn marks covering her entire body.

"That hurt." she whispered menacingly, before smashing Natsu's head into the ground. She repeated this motion for couple times, sending him into unconsciousness even further with each hit.

"That's enough, Jolene." called Silva, causing the woman to stop. She took a last glare at her downed opponent, before getting off of him, leaving him beaten and immobile.

"As we discussed, you stay with us." stated the Master.

Marie watched Natsu with teary eyes, her hand covering her mouth. The children started to sob, their last thread of hope burned into ashes. Only Theo kept a straight face, as he comforted his sister.

"The fight may be over, however...you have yet to learn your lesson." said Silva to Natsu. "Jolene." he called to the woman. "You can do the honor."

The woman grinned sadistically in response. "With pleasure." She walked up to the children, terrifying them even more. She looked at their faces for a while, before laying her eyes down on Faye. "She's always been sickly, right?" she asked Marie. Without waiting for the redhead's response, she grabbed the girl by the hair and dragged her out of the group.

"Let her go!" Theo roared at the woman, chasing after her, only to be kicked in the teeth.

"Geez, we really have to put some work into you brats. No respect what so ever." groaned Jolene, still holding the girl by the hair. "Maybe this will help you."

In one swift motion, she drew her sword and slit the girl's throat. Marie cried out in despair, finally breaking down. The kids followed her suit, as they cried in horror. Theo simply stared at his sister, not a single noise finding its way out of his throat.

Jolene let go of the now dead girl, as she fell to the ground with a dull thud, her eyes half open.

"I'll kill you!" growled Natsu, getting back up from the ground. Tears streamed down his face, his face twisted in pure fury. "I'll slaughter every single one of you!"

"You have every right to try." replied Silva, his voice still calm and stoic. "However, every time you request battle, and fail to defeat one of my friends, one of the children will die. Everything in this world has a price. You can't expect us to just let your challenge us without paying. In a duel, you stake your own life, but since we cannot kill you, we have to retaliate in other way. Remember this day, Natsu. Remember this lesson. Do not forget this guilt."

Silva's last words hit the Dragon Slayer harder than any blow. He dropped to his knees, breaking down, guilt and sorrow filling every fiber of his being.

"We depart in 2 minutes. Clean this mess up." Silva commanded Arthur, who bowed and gave order to other Commandments.

After what felt like eternity, Natsu felt himself being dragged by his arm, his figure getting further and further from Faye's now buried body. He passed Marie and the kids, who were being led in a small formation. He noticed the familiar blonde hair of his friend and lifted his heavy head to look at him. Theo looked back at Natsu, and the Dragon Slayer felt his eyes stinging even more at the sight.

There was no hate, or anger in Theo's eyes. Only sadness and powerlessness. They didn't need to express their feelings out loud to understand each other. Natsu broke down once again, sobbing quietly.

 _"I don't deserve this."_ he thought, Theo's eyes imprinted on his mind. The eyes that didn't aim a single bit of blame.

* * *

 _"After this incident, I stopped putting any resistance. I blamed myself for what happened, even though both Theo and Marie assured me it wasn't my fault. Theo praised me for my bravery, but I couldn't accept it. I couldn't bare to look at him. During the next couple weeks of our travels, even more children died from hunger and sickness. To replenish their losses, Seven Commandments raided yet another village, capturing even more children than before. It was at this moment, where I've realised, that I was never going to see Igneel again. But as it soon turned out, I was wrong."_

"Natsu." called out a voice quietly, barely above whisper. The boy stirred in his spot, sleep still tightly clutching his mind. "Natsu!" the voice called a little louder, effectively waking the Dragon Slayer up.

"What is it?" he asked annoyed, wiping his tired, bloodshot eyes. He's been having trouble sleeping as of late, so being woken up like that was pretty infuriating. When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed Marie's kind face right next to his.

They were currently in a shed that belonged to the freshly pillaged village. Grigol and Dryden found a huge stack of rare alcohol, loudly expressing their joy. They were even "kind enough" to let their prisoners sleep under aroof for the first time in months. Obviously, they were being watched by Grigol, who after drinking a satisfying dose of the liquor, threw himself on a chair and slept like a troll, his snoring echoing throughout the shed.

"Sis? What's wrong?" asked Natsu, matching her tone.

His eyes widened when she showed him a knife. "We're getting out of here." she whispered, quickly getting to cutting Natsu's binds. Due to his lack of will to fight and his gruesome wounds, they did not put him back in chains, instead tying him up like the rest of the children.

"Where did you get this?!" he asked, genuinely shocked.

"That's what these monsters get for drinking near a former thief." hissed Marie, cutting the ties of other kids and waking them up. "Help me out."

Natsu nodded eagerly and quietly ran up to the others, lighting his finger on fire. Both of them quickly dispatched of any binds that restrained the children and were now gently waking them up.

After couple stressful minutes, all the children were free and up on their feet. Marie rounded them up right by the door and instructed them the escape plan.

"Now, follow me. Do not make any noise, and stick together. As soon as we reach the trees, we make a run for it, do you understa-"

The woman's eyes shot wide open, as the sound of waking up Grigol reached her ears. Not only hers, as the children now watched the giant man stand up from his chair, his drunk eyes glued to Marie's back.

"You little..." he mumbled, before raising his arm to deflect a knife thrown by Marie.

"Run! Get away from here! Don't stop running, no matter what!" she roared and walked in front of the children, who kicked down the door an ran out of the shed, blindly running towards what was in front of them.

"Sis!" called out Natsu, who stayed behind, only to be dragged by Theo and another boy.

"We have to go! We can't stay here!" yelled Theo, successfully dragging the pinkette out of the shed.

Marie was slowly backing up, as furious Grigol was now walking towards her.

"I won't let you hurt them any further!" she screamed, before throwing herself at the man. This was the last thing Natsu's eyes have registered, before being dragged into bushes.

"Let me go, Theo! We have to save Sis!" he yelled, finally getting free from his friend's grip after. They were now pretty good distance away from their prison.

"You know damn well we can't!" the blonde screamed back, with tears in his eyes. "She knew what would happen! The only thing we can do is respect her wish and get out of here!"

Natsu stared at his friend, the figures of other children running behind him getting smaller and smaller with each second. He battled himself in his mind, his fists clenching themselves. He knew he stood no chance against any of the Commandments, but he couldn't just leave her behind like that.

"If you go, I won't be able to help you." pleaded Theo, reaching out to Natsu. The Dragon Slayer shook his head and turned around.

"Go ahead, I'll be right back. With Sis."

Theo lowered his head sorrowfully and turned around as well. "I see. Take care, Natsu." he whispered, before running deeper into the forest, leaving Natsu all alone.

The Dragon Slayer took a deep, calming breath. He knew damn well he wasn't coming back. But he wouldn't forgive himself if he just stood there, and did nothing, or even worse, ran away. He'd rather die, than leave a friend behind.

Just when he was about to walk back to the shed, he heard Silva's voice echo throughout the forest.

"Natsu! Come out! I have something to show you!"

Terror grasping his throat, the pinkette ran through the bushes, quickly making his way back. But he wasn't just going to give himself up like that, not without a proper plan. He reached the last set of branches and quietly kneeled in front of them, peeking through the gaps in-between them.

Silva, along with other Commandments, was now standing in front of the abandoned shed. He was holding one of Jolene's swords in his right hand, as he searched throughout the trees for the pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Right next to him was Marie, currently being held in the air by her joined wrists by Grigol. She wasn't hurt, but immobilized, and taken hostage. This slightly calmed the anxious Dragon Slayer down.

"I know you can hear me!" called Silva, still looking for his prey. "If you don't come out, this woman will die. If you do, I promise I will not harm neither you, nor her."

Natsu clenched his teeth. There was no other way, he had to give himself up. He slowly stood up from his spot and was about to walk out in the open, but something prevented him from doing so.

In all the commotion and darkness, by some miracle, Marie spotted the pinkette. She looked at the dark mages, before looking at the Dragon Slayer once again. She shook her head with teary eyes, signalizing to not come out.

"This is your last warning! Come out!" called out Silva, his stoic voice losing its composure.

Marie shook her head once again, tears streaming down her face. She didn't want it to end like this, but she'd rather face death alone, than watch yet another of her children face the same destiny.

Silva, along with other Commandments watched the area, searching for any signs of movement. Failing in doing so, they all looked at each other, some of them furious.

"Very well." said quietly the Master. "I've always hated unifinished business."

Natsu was about to step out of his hiding, when he noticed Marie's gaze. He stared into her kind, blue eyes, feeling himself getting paralysed. He watched with wide, teary eyes, as the woman smiled kindly and mouthed something to the boy in her last moments.

"I love you."

In one, quick move, Silva pierced Marie's stomach with Jolene's sword. At this sight, Natsu bit his hand as hard as he could to muffle his scream, fresh blood streaming down his wrsts. Marie's eyes misted and lost their focus, as they slowly started to close themselves, her figure becoming limper. After taking one, final look at Natsu, her head dropped to her chest, as she hanged limply in Grigol's grasp, lifeless.

Silva pulled out the sword and stroke it towards the ground, shaking the blood off the blade. He handed the sword back to its owner, before giving his order. Grigol let go off her hands, letting her drop to the ground onto her back.

"Search the area. They couldn't have gotten too far."

His subordinates nodded, before splitting up. Natsu dropped to his knees and sobbed into his hand, his body shaking heavily. Heavy tears streamed down his face, his eyes glued to Marie's body. After what felt like hours, he took them off and closed them as tight as possible, using all the strength he had to restrain himself from running up to her.

"It happened again." he cried. "I lost someone close to me once again."

He continued to cry into his hand until the first rays of sun peeked out from behind the horizon. Having cried his eyes out a while ago, Natsu continued to stare at Marie. He felt his fists clenching themselves, pure anger replacing his sorrow. He stepped out of his hiding and ran up to the woman, before falling onto his knees right next to her. He gently grabbed a hold of her limp body and hugged her as hard as he could, his last tears falling down into her red hair.

"I'll kill them." he whispered, his grip on the woman's body increasing. There was barely any room for sadness, grief or sorrow in his heart. Only one thing fueled it now, an emotion he never felt this strongly in his life. Anger.

"I will kill every single one of them. I will destroy everything they stood for, even if it costs me my life." he proclaimed, raising his clenched fist towards the sky.

"Forgive me, Igneel. You'll have to wait for a while longer."

* * *

"Shortly afterwards, I buried Marie away from the village, right by a small stream, that ran in the forest. She's always liked water, in any shape or form. That was the only way I could respect her memory at the moment. After that, I focused on training and slowly started to track Seven Commandments down. Few years later, I earned the name "Salamander", and replaced it with my real one. I felt like Natsu died that day, along with her. And now, seven years later, I'm here."

Natsu finished his story and stood up from his spot, stretching and expressing his relief shortly afterwards. All of this was followed by Erza's brown eyes, her left eye misty and red. She bit her lip in frustration, as she stopped restraining herself and let the tears flow down her face.

 _"Why can this man keep going, after everything that happened? How can he bring himself to smile?"_ she thought, not taking her eyes off the Dragon Slayer. He quickly met her gaze with his own, onyx eyes. Just when Erza opened her mouth to say something, he put his hand in front of her face.

"Stop. Don't say anything. I didn't tell you this to receive your pity." he said, before taking it away.

"Then why did you?" questioned the knight, wiping her eyes with her thumb.

"I told you, as a reminder." he replied, putting on his new jacket on. "I try my best to not forget who I was before it all happened, but I can't afford to lose the sight of my true goal. Balancing it out is pretty hard, if that makes any sense. Though..." he tied his scarf around his now clothed neck and looked at Erza once again. "I think you of all people know what I'm talking about, right?"

Erza was taken in by those words, her voice blocked in her throat for a moment. Did he know more than he was supposed to?

Just when she was about to ask her question, knocking reached her ears, with Gray entering the room.

"Sorry for interrupting you guys, but we're almost there. We're gathering up in the main room." he said, before walking out.

Natsu took a deep breath through his nose, his eyes sharp and focused.

"It's time." he said shortly, before walking out of the room, with Erza following him in suit.

Unknowingly to both of them, their connected seven year long journey was about to come to an end.

 **To be continued in Chapter 9: The Arsenal**

* * *

 **Whew. This was one hell of a ride. I know I failed to properly introduce all of the Commandments, but I wanted to save it for the main event. In case you haven't realised, Dryden is the name of the last Commandment, so now, you know the names of all seven.**

 **I didn't manage to put everything I wanted to in this chapter, and some things could help some adjustments. My free time is limited and if this chapters feels rushed, it's probably because it is. 14 hours ago I had 2,000 words, so...yeah. I promise, I will take my time writing the next ones, so that your reading experience will be at the maximum level. Once again, forgive me. Overall, I hoped you enjoyed it.**

 **With that said, I'm going to bed. Next chapters are where the shit finally hits the fan, so don't be suprised if you see over 20,000 words in next chapter. I want to spend more time on writing them, so that the finale of this arc(I'm planing on covering Tenrou) is a solid experience.**

 **As always, hit me with those reviews like the whore I am and stay awesome!**


	9. The Arsenal

**Welcome to Chapter 9. This chapter is the one where my characters may seen to strand away from their canon selves, but that is due to the situations I have put them in, which are way more messed up than the canon story. If you feel like I've butchered your favorite character - sorry.**

 **I will also leave some disclaimers in the bottom note, so be sure to check them out! Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Gray entered the control room of Christina, Natsu and Erza following him couple seconds later. Everyone present on the ship was there, all of them looking in his direction. Feeling multiple pairs of eyes on his figure, Natsu felt his face getting unusually warmer and gently coughed, looking around the room to avoid meeting their eyes. He laid his on the main window and immediately felt them narrowing.

In the distance, right under the night sky was a tall tower placed on an island. It was still too far to take a proper look on what it looked like, but even from this far, it was enormous. Natsu clenched his fist, his mind wandering off to his recently relived memories. His face turned into a scowl, his teeth slightly bared. Right next to him stood Erza, her eyes glued to the construction as well. She had a pretty much the same reaction as the pinkette, though her face did not express as much hatred as his.

Mirajane, who was supporting a wall with her back, her hands crossed on her chest, shot a curious look at the pair. She shifted her gaze at the tower, and then back at the pair, this time with a frown, her suspicion kicking in.

"So this is it, eh?" Gajeel broke the silence, looking at the building with his head slightly tilted to the left. "Doesn't look like a weapon to me."

"Yes, it is." confirmed Erza, shot out of her short trance. "And it's not a weapon, but a tool. It's designed to bring back a deceased person back to life."

Gajeel hummed quietly in response and looked back at the tower, done with the conversation.

"Since we're about to land, is there anything you can tell us about those Commandments?" asked Laxus, directing the question at Natsu. The rest of Fairy Tail looked at the pinkette as well, all of them curious.

"Yes, I'd like to know more about them as well." added Mira. "What kind of magic do they use, how strong are they?"

Natsu looked at the woman, his face relaxing a bit.

"It's been seven years, so don't take my word for granted." he answered. "But if I were to guess, I'd say most of them are as strong, or stronger than Erza."

Mira frowned at this statement. Normally, she'd have taken his words as an insult, that he implied she was below Erza. But this was not the time to be difficult, and she had experienced Natsu's strength on her own skin. She knew he had a much better insight into the situation, and his comparison was much more likely to be correct.

"Great. Just what we needed." sighed Gray, clearly not happy about what he heard.

"I suddenly regret coming here." added Gajeel.

"What magic do they use?" Mira continued her questioning, ignoring her friends' whining.

Natsu didn't answer. Instead, he looked like he was considering something. After a short while, that was already starting to irritate the Demon, he opened his mouth.

"I think it'd be for the best if I just told you everything I know about them, rather than answer your questions one by one. Is that okay?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

Mirajane gently exhaled through her nose. "Sure, go ahead." she said, throwing herself at the wall once again.

Natsu nodded and relayed his intel to the group.

"As name suggests, there's... _was_ seven of them. They're ranked from 1st to 7th, all of them gifted with a name granted them by their Master. The lower the number, the stronger the Commandment is, and their names represent their magic. Their Master is number 1, and this is where I need you to listen to me very carefully."

Natsu's face grew serious in a blink of an eye.

"Those without Lost Magic are not allowed to engage him in combat. At all. This is not me ordering you around, I am saving your lives by saying this."

Fairy Tail mages frowned at these words, some of them looking at each other.

"The hell is this supposed to mean?" asked irritated Gajeel.

"Why does it matter whether our magic is Lost or not?" added Gray, frowning.

"Because he can steal magic." retorted Natsu, suprising the group.

"Steal? You're sure you're not talking about copying?" asked Mirajane. She found it hard to believe that someone could just "steal" someone elses magic.

"Have you seen him do it?" threw in Laxus, not convinced either.

"No." replied Natsu, not casting himself in good light because of it. "But his subordinates wanted him to steal mine. He then admitted he couldn't steal Lost Magic, that's how I know."

The gang looked at each other, not sure what to make of it. None of them has ever heard of someone capable of stealing magic. Copying was a different thing - Copy Magic was rather known, especially amongst Dark Guilds.

"So basically, only Laxus, Wendy, Gajeel and you are allowed to fight him." added wondering Lucy, as she covered her mouth with her fingers. "In other words, Dragon Slayers. Nobody else on this ship uses Lost Magic."

Natsu looked at Lucy, his eyes wide open. He slowly blinked a couple times, gears turning in his head.

"Wendy? Which one of you is Wendy?" he asked, as he searched the room with his eyes. "Is it you?" he asked, quickly walking up to Juvia, which startled the water wizard.

"Wendy is the girl who healed you not so long ago." threw in Erza, slightly embarrassed. Knowing their shy, or in Natsu's case anti-social natures, she should have expected they wouldn't introduce themselves to each other.

Natsu quickly turned his head around and looked at Wendy, who was currently trying to hide behind Lucy.

"You're a Dragon Slayer?!" he asked her with a raised, excited voice.

Wendy peeked out from behind Lucy, her face slightly red. "Y-yes, I am." she confirmed.

The pinkette quickly ran up to her, startling both her and Lucy. He kneeled in front of her and began to check out every single part of her body, from face to her feet, his face way too close to her small figure and his nose constantly sniffing her. This scared Wendy, as she hid behind Lucy once again, trying to get away from him.

Erza walked up to Natsu and gently smacked the back of his head, knocking him out of his trance. "Calm down, you're scaring her."

Natsu massaged his head and looked at the knight. "I've just never seen a female Dragon Slayer before. I got overexcited" he chuckled lightly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." he said to Wendy, smiling at her awkwardly with his hand raised in the air.

"It's okay, I was just suprised." assured him the little Dragon Slayer, though she did not peek out to meet his eyes.

"I see." Natsu smiled at her for the last time and stood up. "So, where were we?" he asked the other wizards, earning himself their looks of irritation.

Erza couldn't help but feel her lips curving into a small smile. This little scene proved that no matter what sort of hardships people met in their lives, and how much they've changed because of them, there were always some parts that just refused to die.

"You were talking about the Commandments." reminded him Mira.

"Oh, right." Natsu cleared his throat and resumed his previous monologue. "As I said, only the Dragon Slayers can fight Silva. Other than that, there will be five more Commandments in that tower. I know magics of two of them, and I have some guesses about the rest."

"Well then, let us hear it." said Laxus.

Natsu looked at the blonde. He remembered their past encounter - it didn't go well for neither of them. Although even in strength, the difference in their elements put Natsu in a disadvantage, his body slowly but surely becoming too numb to move properly, which ultimately resulted in his defeat. However it was thanks to this man that he had his new powers, and it was thanks to them he bested Grigol. He made a mental note to properly talk with the Lightning Dragon Slayer after their current mission was over, before talking about their upcoming obstacle.

"I'll start with those whose magics I am sure of. First, there's a woman named Jolene. She..."

Suddenly, Natsu stopped talking, words getting stuck in his throat. The images from the past clouded his eyes at the mention of the woman's name, his teeth clenching themselves. This didn't go unnoticed by Erza, who knew what was the cause of his pause. His story was still clouding her mind.

"She uses Requip magic, just like Erza, but instead of armors, she focuses on weapons. Swords, bows, maces, spears, anything that can be used to kill a person. Though I've never seen her use anything as powerful as Erza's armors, since she mostly uses plain iron or steel weapons, I'd say you stay focused. She could be hiding something." he warned them, breaking through his mental barrier.

"So, she's a reverse Erza?" asked Gray.

"Yeah." nodded Natsu, looking at the ice wizard. "But much more lethal. Every single one of her attacks is aimed to kill, to her, it's as natural as breathing."

"Dibs." called Mira, raising her hand. No one was brave, or stupid enough to argue with her.

"Then, we have Luppi. He is the one who's controlling that guy from the Council. He can brainwash people and control them as his puppets. He is the weakest out of all Commandments, but he's just as dangerous. My advice is to not take him on alone, no matter how strong you are." continued Natsu. "The rest is unknown to me. I know one of them is much tougher than the rest, the other one uses some green energy, and the final one, Arthur, carries alot of knives in his pockets and is really fast, but I've never seen them use their magics in real battle."

"In other words, our odds of fighting someone we can prepare for are 50/50." sighed Laxus. "Can't say I'm too happy about that."

"It doesn't matter." retorted Lucy, suprising the man. "If we don't beat them, something terrible will happen. Not to mention all the people they've hurt, those poor girls from Blackhill...I won't let them!"

Laxus stared at the blonde, his eyes wide. He couldn't help but feel impressed with the girl's resolve. He's never thought much of her, but in this very moment, she definitely scored some points in his book.

"I think it'd be for the best if you stayed on the ship, Lucy." said Erza, walking up to the blonde. "I mean no disrespect to both you and your skills, but this mission is too much for you. I can't let you get inside of that tower."

"Erza, again with this?" threw in Gray, his tone more disappointed than angry. "We've talked about this-"

"This is different, Gray." interrupted him Erza, shifting her eyes to meet his. "We are about to face the biggest obstacle in our lives. If the Commandments are truly as strong as me, I see no way Lucy could possibly overcome that. This is not me doubting her skills, this is me stating a fact. If sacrificing her trust is the price for her survival, then it is the price I am willing to pay. I don't want to lose those close to me ever again."

Gray's eyes slightly widened at the sight of Erza's gaze. It was as sharp as ever, even intimidating, but it was also pleading, maybe even desperate. He would have lied if he said he didn't share her feelings, but the price for it was way too big.

Just when he was about to open his mouth and respond, he noticed Lucy placing her hand on Erza's shoulder and forcefully turning the woman around to face her. The redhead looked into Lucy's brown eyes with her own, feeling them widen in suprise.

"I think you're getting the wrong idea of me, Erza." said the Celestial Wizard, her voice quiet, but calm. "I am not planning on facing those people, I know I stand no chance. But I am not planning on staying behind on this ship either. I am here to help people trapped on that island, and I will do everything I can in order to do so, and not even you can stop me. It's like Gray said, it's time you started to trust us as much as we trust you. We're a team, aren't we?"

The last question was asked with a smile on Lucy's face. Erza stared at her friend, her eyes shot wide open.

"I didn't-"

"I know you didn't, and I know you have your reasons to be afraid." Lucy interrupted her, raising her hand to the knight's cheek. "But you can't protect us forever. I promise I will not do anything rash, or stupid."

Erza continued to stare at the girl, still not entirely convinced.

"Master chose her, because he believes in her." said Mira. "He believes in all of us. If you force her to stay behind, you'd spit not only on her, but Master himself as well."

"I'll stay with her." added Juvia, as he walked up to the women. "If things go badly, we'll run. We'll focus on saving the prisoners, not fighting."

Juvia and Mira's words seemed to hit their mark, as Erza's face relaxed. She raised her hand to meet Lucy's and brought it away from her cheek, but still kept it in her armored, gentle grip.

"Very well." sighed the knight. She then looked at Lucy, her eyes growing stern. "But as soon as you sense trouble, retreat."

Lucy's smiled widened, as she nodded. "I promise."

Erza nodded as well, and turned her gaze onto Wendy. "But you stay, and that is not up for discussion. You are the only person here capable of using Healing Magic. We will need you for the wounded, and I'm sure there will be lots of them. Is that okay?"

"Yes! I will do my best." nodded Wendy. She actually wanted to stay behind, as her confidence in her fighting skills was almost non-existent. She would do a much better job by staying behind the lines.

Erza gave the small Dragon Slayer a nod of her own, some weight getting off her chest.

"Ladies and gentlemen." called Hibiki, gaining the attention of everyone present in the room. "We are about to reach our destination."

Erza looked at the main window of Christina, with the tower taking majority of its view. She felt her armored fists clenching themselves, a wave of fear spreading throughout her chest. It was just how she remembered it.

The tower resembled a giant, grey clock. It was higher than any construction she'd ever seen, with each floor designed differently than the others. The main entrance to the tower was placed at the very top of high, white stairs that started just by the ocean shore. The first floor was surrounded by many smaller towers, and on top of it sat second floor, designed to look like a castle. Every single floor above it looked differently, up to the very top, which was made out of simple, grey bricks, with four giant windows on each wall. On top of it sat a narrow roof, with a giant spike-like thing growing out of it, reaching towards the sky. Despite its bizarre appearance, the tower looked rather smoothly, the different styles working with each other rather marvelously. If Erza hadn't hated and feared this place with her whole heart, she'd call it beautiful.

She looked to her right, Natsu standing right next to her, his eyes glued to the tower as well. However, his weren't focused on its exteriors, but rather what was inside of it. Or rather, w _ho_ was inside.

"Are you afraid?" she asked him, earning herself a weird look from the Dragon Slayer.

The question sounded so childish, so weak, and yet so appropriate. It was one of the questions she had wanted to ask him for days now. There were moments where she couldn't help but admire and envy him. The way he engaged his past was something she had lacked strength to do for years, and only now had she finally found that necessary spark of courage and strength.

"Of course I am." he replied shortly, shifting his eyes back to the tower. "For years I wondered what would happen if I found them, what kind of face would I make, what feelings would I feel. Now that I'm this close to rhem, I know it's fear. But not just fear - it's a mix of emotions I can't even describe. A part of me is happy, a part of me is afraid, but if I were to choose, I'd say anger is the one I'm feeling the most. I finally know where to aim it at, I can finally let it loose. I either finish this, or die in this place. There's no third option."

Erza's eyes narrowed, as she watched his face, now twisted into an angry scowl. She recalled their first conversation in the cave, when he told her his only fear was never finding those people. Now, that he's found them, his fear turned into anger. She bit her lip in frustration, as she recalled the days when she allowed anger to control her. The people she pushed away, the people she hurt. _"You were in a similar situation not so long ago, with one leg already deep in darkness. Yours was pulled out, buy his is still there, sinking deeper with each day. If we don't hurry, he will reach the point of no return."._ Makarov's words echoed in her mind, making her fists clench even harder.

"Before we go there, I have to ask you a favor."

Natsu looked at her, his right eyebrow slightly raised.

"No matter what happens in there, do not lose yourself to hatred." she said, her tone calm. "I know what it feels like, I know what it does to people. Hatred makes you blind, blind makes you vulnerable. That's why I want you to promise me that you will not succumb, no matter what,"

Natsu continued to look at her, his expression unchanging. It was stoic, almost as if he was listening to her talking about weather.

"I'll try." he replied, before looking at the tower once again.

Erza shifted her eyes to the floor, closing them for a moment. She knew he wouldn't listen, her old self wouldn't either. But she was far from admitting defeat. She'd use force to keep him away from that path if she needed to.

"Thank you." she breathed, before looking at the tower as well.

* * *

Silva sat in his throne, his eyes looking through his window at the giant ship approaching his home. He smirked in triumph, his keen senses picking up the unusual magic power he hasn't felt in years. Before his throne stood a coffin, sat on top of a small mountain of wood. Inside of it laid Grigol's body, broken and scarred, currently covered by a white cloth. Before the coffin stood all the remaining Commandments, waiting to say goodbye to their comrade..

"My friends." called Silva. "We are being visited by an old friend of ours. I'm sure all of you remember him quite well."

Jolene's fists clenched at her Master's words. It took her all the strength in her body to restrain herself from storming the intruders' ship and cutting Salamander into pieces. Noticing this, Silva smirked lightly, before continuing his speech.

"He is a man of many meanings. He's our biggest failure, yet our biggest hope. But most importantly, he is the killer of our brother."

Arthur closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chest, giving his fallen comrade his final farewell. Tears found their way down Jolene's face, as she bit her lip, trying to contain her emotions. Jellal and Luppi remained stoic, almost as if not caring about their guildmate.

"Tonight, we say farewell to our brother, Grigol."

Silva stood from his throne and waved his hand to his right. In one, quick moment, Grigol's coffin erupted in a small explosion, that lit up both the coffin and the woodstack. The smell of burned wood and flesh reached the noses of the Commandments, their friend slowly but surely becoming ash.

"But tonight, we also say farewell to this cruel world." Silva's voice was now raised. "This filthy, unjust world, ruled by those who consider themselves better than us. Tonight, we reject this world and grant it to our Master - Zeref."

Jolene stared at her Master, her eyes burning with hatred and thirst for revenge, not just for Salamander, but everyone who had wronged her.

"Our seven years long mission has reached its end. By the time sun raises, our Lord will be resurrected, and the world prepared for cleansing!" Silva was now screaming, his hands raised in the air.

"What a lovely speech." breathed sarcastically Jellal, his words reaching only his ears.

"Salamander is almost in our grasp. However, he is not alone. He's brought allies, powerful allies, someone you've all heard about as well. Our meeting with Fairy Tail was bound to happen, sooner or later. Our Lord has rewarded us by bringing them to our doorstep on a silver platter."

Jellal's interest was now piqued. If Fairy Tail was coming, it meant _that_ woman was bound to come as well. He couldn't stop the small smile that formed on his face.

"They are nothing but an obstacle in our plans. You are free to dispose of them however you so desire, but you must bring Salamander alive. It doesn't matter how many limbs he's lacking, he _must_ breathe. Now, go, my brothers and sister. Fulfill your destiny."

"Yes, Master Silva!" yelled the Commandments, before storming out of the room.

"Luppi." called Silva, causing the teenager to stop in his tracks. "I'd rather you didn't leave this floor. Your body is on its limit, I cannot risk you taking a part in this battle."

Luppi frowned at his Master's words, clearly not fond of this idea.

"If I go with them, I can help clean them up much faster." replied Luppi. "All I have to do is freeze their movements, one by one. That is still within my limit, without revealing myself."

Silva's eyes narrowed, as he considered his subordinate's idea. "Very well. But you are forbidden to fight on the front lines. If things get ugly, however, resort to support. Stay in the shadows, as I have taught you many years ago."

Luppi bowed before leaving the room. "As you wish, Master."

As the teenager made his way downstairs, he couldn't help but feel excitement at the thought of finally getting some action.

"I know exactly where to hide." he said to himself, before heading down the stairs that led to Silva's floor. Just when he exited the floor, he noticed Jellal standing in the entrance, his back against the wall, his face twisted in an irritating smirk.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked annoyed Luppi, as he stopped in his tracks. "You're supposed to head downstairs with the others."

"I wish to stay here." retorted Jellal. "In case the others fail, I will be here to protect Master. After all, we cannot let him get hurt before the grand finale now, can we?"

Luppi's face twisted into a scowl. That condescending nature of his and that constant dose of sarcasm in his voice brought the teenager to a boiling point. It's always been like this, ever since they met.

"I'll never understand why Master lets you pull this shit off with no consequences." growled Luppi as he passed Jellal and continued his way downstairs.

"Let's just hope you're not stupid enough to peek into his mind, like you did with me. I don't think he's as forgiving as I am." retorted the man, his tone unchanging.

The Mind simply ignored this taunt and entered the main corridor of the floor, leaving Jellal behind on his own.

* * *

Natsu's feet were the first to touch the island, as Christina has finally reached its destination. Gajeel, Laxus and Mira followed him in suit few seconds later, with Juvia and Lucy trailing behind them. Erza remained on the ship for a while longer, as she stared at the ground.

"Erza? Are you okay?" asked concerned Lucy, noticing her friend's tense figure.

Erza raised her head and breathed out through her nose. "Yes. Let's move out." she said, before jumping down and landing on the island.

"We will remain here until your return." exclaimed Ichiya from inside of the ship. "Good luck, my friends."

"Be safe." added Wendy.

Fairy Tail mages nodded to their friends, before starting to run up the long stairs.

"If you wanna go back, this is your last chance." said Natsu, who was leading the group.

"We can't, even if we wanted to." sighed Gray.

"Joke like that again and I'll blast your face one more time." retorted Mira from behind Laxus.

Natsu couldn't help but smirk at their remarks, an odd, familiar feeling filling his chest.

With each second the tower was getting bigger and bigger, the stairs slowly reaching their end. At the end of them was light, reflecting from behind open door that led inside. Natsu was well aware it was a trap, they all did. But there was no time to be sneaky.

With one final step, Natsu's foot touched the door of the tower, as he quickly crossed it, the rest of the group following him. They have entered the lowest floor of the tower. It was consisted of a giant lobby, that seemed almost endless. Right in the middle of it laid thick, red carpet that led straight deep into the darkness that resided at the end of the lobby, with wooden floor on each side of it. Instead of walls, there were two giant windows that spread all over the floor, the moonlight lighting the place up rather beautifully. Overall, this floor was almost empty, with barely any furniture or structures to fill the space in.

Erza could hear the echo of her armored footsteps bouncing from wall to wall, as she and her friends made their way deeper into the lobby. Suddenly, Natsu stopped in his tracks and raised his hand, alarming the group to halt.

"What is it?" she asked the Dragon Slayer, only to see him ignite his fist in response.

"They're coming."

The floor has started to shake under the weight and sound of countless feet kicking the ground, as dozens of people stormed out of the darkness, all of them charging at the wizards. They all wore black, ankle long coats and helmets with one glass visor that allowed them to see through. They were all armed in weapons of various kinds, such as swords, maces, and even battleaxes.

"Here comes the welcoming party." smirked Mira, as she put up her guard.

Instead of waiting for the wave to hit, Natsu dashed towards the group, quickly closing the remaining distance between them. He put his fire off and flexed his shoulder, crashing into his opponents like a bull, knocking several of them onto their backs.

"Follow Natsu! Conserve your magic!" yelled Erza, as she Requipped one of her regular swords and threw herself into battle as well, focusing on protecting her unarmed friends from the weapons.

The group quickly followed her in suit, all of them not using their magic. Well, with the exception of Gajeel, who used his hardened fists to quickly dispose of his opponents. The same pattern was followed by the remaining mages, none of them using magic, their fists being their only tools they used to knock the masked people unconscious.

Erza swiftly parried a slash aimed at her right side and pushed her sword upwards, knocking the weapon out of her attacker's grip with its crossguard. She then flipped the sword over in her hand and struck her opponent with its handle straight into his stomach, knocking him out. She relaxed and took a look at Natsu, who was currently landing punches and kicks on the remaining enemy forces. She felt herself frown at the sight. The number of enemies was definitely high, yet their resistance was non-existent. It was almost as if they didn't know what to do with the weapons they were carrying.

"Something's not right." said Mira, as she turned one of the downed men with her foot. "They all fell after one hit. Are they messing with us?"

"I agree." said Erza, sheathing her sword. "This is beyond sketchy. Be on your guard."

Gajeel's ear twitched, as one of the downed people moved. He walked up to the masked person and grabbed their coat, forcefully turning them over. He was met with a terrified female eye peeking out of her broken helmet.

"I've got some questions for ya, lady." mumbled Gajeel, scaring the woman. She desperately shook her head, not a single sound escaping her mouth. "But first, let's get rid of this stupid helmet."

Gajeel forcefully ripped the helmet off the woman's head, a giant cloud of dirty, entangled hair falling out of it. Her cheeks were sullen, her skin strained and pale. Her mouth was gagged, rendering her unable to speak. The Dragon Slayer frowned and removed the gag from the woman's mouth, this time using much gentlier measures.

"We must stop you..." muttered the terrified woman, her eyes bloodshot and sunken. "We must stop you...Masters said to stop you, we must stop you...otherwise..."

"The hell are you talking about? Did your screw get loose or something-" started Gajeel, before feeling his eyes widen. He grabbed the woman's collar and pulled it down, ripping it in the process. His shocked eyes were met with an iron collar, tightly wrapped over the woman's neck.

"These guys are the slaves!" yelled the Dragon Slayer, shocking the rest of the group.

Upon hearing these words, Laxus quickly ripped the helmets of two people that laid near him, both of them strapped in similar collars as well. He was about to speak up, when his nose picked up several new smells approaching from where the slaves ran out from. Just when he was about to call out their approach, his ear picked up a weird, ringing sound. It was quiet, too quiet for normal people to catch, but his enhanced hearing allowed him to hear it loud enough to realise it was starting to get quicker and louder. The slaves started to throw themselves on the floor, ignoring their pain and injuries, as they desperately tried to run away from something. Gears turning in his head, Laxus felt his eyes widen in realisation, his body reacting on his own.

Two seconds later dozens of explosions erupted around the wizards, all of them merging into one, giant blast. The entire tower shook from its impact, pieces of weapons, clothes and human bits scattering all over the floor, all windows exploding from the inside, as giant pieces of glass fell into the ocean.

After a short while, two figures walked out of the shadows, one of them holding something in her hand.

"You do realise Salamander was in that blast, right?" asked one of them in a male voice. He was a blonde man of high, skinny posture. His hair was very short, his head resembling the top of a matchstick. He had green eyes with a deep scar running across his right one. He was wearing a blue battle uniform, with white straps running down his torso from his collar, with the same kind of straps running down his arms as well. It was very similar to his partner's.

"I don't care. If he died from something like this, then he was not worth of our time to begin with." replied the other one in a poisonous tone. She was wearing a black skin tight uniform, with two swords strapped to her lower back. Her right eye was covered by her brown bangs, her shoulder-length hair flowing in the wind of the blast.

Jolene walked up to the scene with a detonator in her right hand, a sinister smirk growing on her face. "At least now we don't have to worry about getting rid of our leftovers. Report to Master, Dryden. Fairy Tail has been-"

Jolene was interrupted by the sight of fire left by the explosion being suddenly gathered and sucked in inside of the smoke, as it began to clear out, revealing a male figure sucking the fire in through his mouth, with a giant barrier made out of yellow lightning behind him. Natsu slurped the last bits of the fire, before sighing in relief. Jolene felt her eyes widening at the sight, her teeth painfully clenching on their own.

The lightning barried dispelled, revealing that everyone inside of it was unharmed, all of them forcefully dragged inside by Laxus right before the blast went off. Erza, still shocked, looked around the place, her stomach twisting itself at the sight. The floor was scorched and completely destroyed, covered with remaining bits of fire and burned, dismembered people. Their remains were scattered all over the lobby, some of them sticking to the walls, and even the ceiling. Every bits of fear or anxiety she felt upon entering the tower was now replaced by pure fury.

"How could they do this?" asked dumbfound Juvia, her eyes blindly staring at the biggest scorch. Lucy stood right next to her, tears falling down her face, unable to speak.

"They're not people anymore." growled Gray, his clenched fists shaking in anger. "They're just beasts in human skin."

"This is fucked up." added Mira, her face green but matching that of her friends.

Erza turned her gaze towards the pair, her face twisted in a furious scowl. She was about to open her mouth to express her feelings, but was interrupted by a sight that froze her blood.

Natsu's face no longer resembled that of a human. His pupils, glued to Jolene's figure, were so small they could be barely seen. His teeth were bared, his long fangs exposed, like a wolf ready to put them in its prey. His face was the physical personification of pure, wild fury. He made a slow, unnaturally heavy step towards the woman, a quiet growl finding its way through his clenched teeth. Jolene, whose face was sickingly familiar to his, replied by making a step of her own. Natsu took another one, this time faster, and lighter, only to be parroted by Jolene once again. The tension between those two increased the gravity in the room, their magical power growing to suffocating levels.

Dryden, who was more than aware of what was going to happen, did not even bother to stop his friend. Instead, he lowered himself on his knees, ready to dash when needed.

Natsu and Jolene were now walking towards each other, the distance between them slowly getting smaller. His fists were clenched, while hers were tightly closed on the handles of her swords, her right one breaking under pressure.

"Salamander!"

Suddenly, Jolene screeched in pure fury and dashed towards the Dragon Slayer, immediately pulling out her swords in the meantime. He responded by doing the same, his fists catching on fire, as he kicked the ground with enough force to crack it. Unfortunately for the woman, he closed the distance much faster than her, suprising her with his speed. Her plans of striking first rendered as failed, she crossed her swords in front of her chest, ready to catch her opponent's attack. Natsu pulled his right arm back and struck Jolene's guard with tremendous force, his flames splashing all over the place. Not even a second later, Jolene felt being overpowered by the Dragon Slayer, as he pushed her weapons against her chest and broke them into pieces, effectively pushing her back and knocking her out of balance, both of her feet losing contact with the ground and her body slowly tilting towards the ground in the air. Jolene's face expressed pure shock, both from Salamander's speed and the fact she was so easily overpowered. She felt like a child.

Not giving her even a shadow of a chance to regain her position, Natsu quickly stepped in and readied a left hook, his fist quickly making its way towards Jolene's unguarded, terrified face. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance right next to his right ear and, using his instincts and agility, ducked as fast as he could, a powerful punch flying just over his head.

Dryden joined the battle and tried to blindside the Dragon Slayer from his right side, his right straight aimed at pinkette's temple missing just by the skin of teeth.

With his brain locked onto a new target, Natsu twisted his lowered torso and shifted his weight on his feet, using both of his big toes to turn his entire body 90 degrees to his right. He used his knees to spring himself upwards, turning his legs into catapults. The left hook aimed at Jolene turned into a left uppercut, which found its way right under Dryden's chin. A powerful strike shook the man right to his core, as Natsu's flaming fist connected and blew his head upwards, forcing his neck to extend to its absolute limits to keep his head in its place. A cloud of blood covered the air above Dryden's face, as it found its way through his cut mouth.

Using her comrade's pain as a chance, Jolene quickly regained her composure and slashed at Natsu with the remains of her sword. However, he expected that.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!_**

Using just his left arm, Natsu pushed both Commandments away from himself, his flames acting more as a shield, rather than an attack. The pair slid on the wooden floor, Dryden wiping his mouth with his sleeve, still not entirely sure of what just happened. _"What the hell is wrong with this kid?"_

They didn't get to rest for too long, as Natsu caught up to them once again, his cheeks puffed out. Just when he was about to unleash his flames point blank, he felt himself being blown away, dull pain taking over his face. The strike was so strong it knocked him back all the way to Erza and the group, forcing him to flip in the air and dig his nails into the floor to avoid crashing into the knight.

Dryden gulped and looked to his left, relief overtaking the sense of fear he was feeling just a moment ago.

"Nice one, Arthur."

Before Jolene and Dryden stood Arthur, clad in his suit, his right leg he used to kick Natsu with still raised in the air. He gently let it down onto the floor and bent over to shake the dust off his shoe. "Jolene, get a hold of yourself." he commanded, not even looking at the woman.

Jolene stared with blind eyes into nothingness, shock and fear still tightly grasping her mind. _"If I was alone...he'd have killed me."_ She looked at her broken weapons, the dull pain in her hands still reminding her of his strength. _"It's been seven years...just seven years. How is it possible? How did he get this strong?"_

"Jolene!"

Arthur's raised voice woke her up. He wasn't even looking at her, but she could tell he was furious.

"You're being irrational. Throwing yourself at Salamander without using full strength is equal to suicide, it's as clear as the day. Grigol did not perish by sheer luck, you should have known that." the elder scolded his comrade, a slight sense of concern hidden beneath his stern tone. "That goes for both of you." he added, directing these words at Dryden.

"I know. My bad."

On the other side, Natsu slowly stood up from the ground, ready to dash once again.

"Don't be reckless!" scolded him Erza, causing him to stop at the last moment. "Didn't that last attack teach you anything? This man's ability is not something we can just throw ourselves at!"

"Did you see anything?" asked Mira, directing the question to Laxus.

"No." replied the man, his eyes narrowing. "There was no sound, smell or even presence of his magic power before he kicked Salamander. He simply appeared out of thin air."

"Teleportation?" asked Gray. Laxus shook his head.

"No matter how fast a teleport is, there's always a warning before it happens. This time, there was nothing."

"So, what do we do now? Charge at them?" asked Lucy, her voice broken, but close to her old self.

Erza considered their options. In reality, they outnumbered the Commandments 8 to 3. However, they still have yet to witness their true power. Especially the oldest one. There was only one plan she could come up with, and it was something she had wanted to avoid at all cost.

The knight clicked her tongue, disappointed with herself. "We have to split them up." she said to the group, keeping her voice low. "However, that also applies to us. We have no time to spare, and it doesn't seem like they will just let us through. We can't engage them on our own."

"No." Natsu growled at Erza, his voice almost unrecognizable. "You can go ahead. I'll stay here and slaughter them on my own."

The knight felt sweat run down her temple. She expected this to happen, but not this fast, and not to this extent. Even if she wanted to, she was in no position to forcefully convince him to go with them.

Erza walked up to the Dragon Slayer and put her hand on his tense shoulder, much to the group's suprise. "Leave this woman to us, Natsu." she whispered to him. "You are a key to their plans. If you fall before meeting their Master, everything will be lost. I understand your feelings, I can hardly contain myself as well. But you must not give in. You promised, didn't you?"

Natsu loudly breathed through his nose, waging his options, as reason started to come back to him. She was right - his main target was Silva. Wasting energy fighting other Commandments would surely end up badly, not just for him, but others as well.

"Fine." he muttered, before putting his fists down.

Erza sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"Seems like Titania has found herself a dog." taunted Jolene. "Are you gonna wag your tail as well, Salaman-"

Jolene's taunt was interrupted by a sword making its way towards her face, forcing her to deflect it. She looked over in the direction of her enemies, only to be met with Erza, her right arm extended in front of her, who was glaring daggers at the Commandment.

"How ironic, all I can hear coming from your mouth is barking of a dog. What a shame you were not this confident a minute ago, when Salamander's fist was mere centimeters away from your face, bitch." taunted Mira, infuriating Jolene even further.

"Laxus, we're busting out of here." commanded Erza.

"Sure thing." said Laxus, before covering his body in lightning. "I'd cover your heads if I were you."

With that said, the Dragon Slayer pointed his right arm at the ceiling, a powerful blast of yellow lightning crashing into it with tremendous force. It easily broke through the concrete, creating a giant hole, big enough to fit the group.

"Gray!" called Laxus.

The Maker Wizard caught Laxus' idea and put his hands on the ground.

 _ **ICE MAKE: ELEVATOR!**_

In an instant, a giant block of ice grew under his feet, taking both him and the group up to the next floor.

"You're not getting away!" yelled Jolene, throwing herself after her enemies, Dryden following her suit.

Arthur simply stood in his spot, an amused smile growing on his face. "So that's the best decision you have come up with? How disappointing."

With that said, he turned on his heel and slowly walked into the darkness, as he made his way to the upper floors.

Jolene Requipped a dozen of iron swords around her head and threw them at the iceberg, creating a path. She swiftly jumped from blade to a blade, effectively making her way up. With one final jump, she passed upwards and slashed the ceiling, creating herself a window to pass through. She flew right through it, not several meters above the ground of the second floor. She looked throughout the floor with her eyes, until she spotted the group running off in the distance, heading towards the stairs.

The woman grit her teeth and turned herself in the air, facing the staircase. Just when she was starting to fall, she noticed multiple iron spears flying in her direction with the corner of her eye. She siwftly deflected all of them, as they fell to the ground with loud clanks. Not even a second later she heard a familiar sound and turned in its direction, this time an arrow made out of ice making its way towards her torso. She threw her right sword at the arrow, successfully shattering it. Afterwards, her feet finally touched the ground.

Jolene heard footsteps making their way in her direction from both of her sides.

"She really _is_ like Titania. Normally, I'd be excited. But not after what you pulled off, you trash." growled a voice to her right.

"I'm glad we agree on that one." added a voice to her left. "There's no punishment for what you've all done."

Gray and Gajeel emerged from the shadows, successfully surrounding Jolene. The woman clicked her tongue in irritation, clearly not fond of the situation she was currently in.

"You're going down, bitch." growled Gajeel, his right hand turning into a sword.

Jolene ignored them and threw herself after Natsu, only to be met with a wall of ice growing in her way, which sealed the way to her target.

"I don't think so." hissed Gray, infuriating the woman even more.

Dryden finally caught up with his friend, as he jumped out of the hole she'd made with her weapons. He quickly assessed the situation, before locking his eyes on surrounded Jolene.

"Ganging up on a lady? Gentlemen, that's not very manly-"

His taunt was interrupted by a powerful punch to his right cheek. Mirajane flew up to the man in her **Satan Soul** and struck him with a right hook, successfully knocking him off the air. His body impacted into the floor, before breaking right through it, as he fell to the floor beneath, back where he came from. Mirajane spread her wings and dived into the hole she'd just made, chasing after the man.

"Make her pay." she threw as farewell to her friends before disappearing.

"You don't have to say it." they exclaimed before dashing at Jolene.

The woman slowly closed her eyes and extended her arms to her sides, aiming them at her opponents.

"Very well." she hissed before summoning multiple spears with each of her hands and launching them at Fairy Tail wizards. "I'll turn you boys into my new toys."

* * *

Natsu ran up the stairs, continuously knocking out every masked person that stood before him. After wasting some time and successfully checking the bodies of his first ten victims, he was now sure that none of them had any sorts of explosives strapped to their bodies. This sacrifice allowed the group to safely proceed forward, without putting both themselves and the slaves in danger. The slaves fell one by one after being rendered unconscious by the group, with Natsu taking care of majority of them. This decision was made by Erza, who decided that knocking them out was a much easier and faster method of persuation, even if more brutal. Even Lucy complied to her words without arguing, as she has already successfully choked two men out with her whip.

"There's no end to them!" exclaimed Juvia after pressing a slave against the wall with her water. "At this rate we won't make it"

Erza couldn't help but agree with her friends' judgement. The amount of people swamping them in the tight staircase was overwhelming. They were basically running on people, her eyes not registering even a single, cold step ever since they made the first turn.

"This is taking way too long." added Laxus, as he smashed a person's head against the wall. "We should have taken that elevator up to the very top."

"We don't know what awaits us on each floor, we could easily run into a trap by doing so. Upper floors have been secured with lacrimas - the moment we try to dig our way through we will be fried, and not even your lightning will help you. We have no other choice but advance step by step." responded Erza.

"How do you know this?" asked the blonde with a light frown.

"I helped install them." retorted Erza sorrowly. Laxus no longer pushed the topic.

Finally, Natsu kicked the last attacker out of the way, with no follow up coming afterwards. After 20 more seconds of climbing they were met with a light, as the entrance to third floor appeared before them.

"You think leaving just those three was a good idea?" Laxus asked Erza, as he matched his pace with hers. Not hearing her response, the man tried to press a little harder.

"There are four Commandments left. You, me and Salamander can most likely take them one on one, but what about those two?" he asked, pointing at Lucy and Juvia with his thumb. "They were supposed to focus on prisoners, but look at the situation we're in. The very same prisoners are now lying on the ground behind us. Even if they focus on getting them off this island, they can't go downstairs with those five duking it out. In worst case scenario, they will run into a Commandment."

"I am well aware of this fact." retorted the knight through her grit teeth, trying to think of some sort of a strategy. "I know which floor to leave them on, but I'm afraid the enemy is expecting that."

Laxus looked at her. He knew she was frustrated, and more than likely scared for her friends. Only few minutes spent on this island showed them that none of them knew what sort of a mess they were getting themselves into.

"If that happens, let's just hope they run into the 7th one. They can turn it into a 4v1 if they want to." he said, trying to lift Erza's spirit.

She did not reply.

* * *

Gajeel and Gray panted heavily, sweat running down their faces. Dozens of weapons surrounded them, most of them impaled to the ground. Loud sound of Jolene's high heels echoed throughout the floor, as she made her way towards her targets, a sword in each of her hands.

"This bitch..." growled Gajeel in-between his breaths, streams of blood flowing down his iron scales from multiple small cuts he received from the Commandment. "She's toying with us."

"Oh, you noticed?" asked the woman, before dashing at the Dragon Slayer. She slashed his left side, only to have it blocked by his iron club. He retaliated by a slash of his own, as he thrust his right hand that was currently in the form of a sword directly into her chest, only to see Jolene use his momentum against him. She parried the strike with her left sword and directed it to her right, sidestepping at the same time. Gajeel lost his balance and was pulled forward by his own strength. Jolene stepped out of his field of vision and slashed at him. Gajeel's eyes widened in terror at the sight of a blade making its way towards his eyes. He ducked at the last moment, the blade cutting off some of his hair.

"Good boy." breathed Jolene before delivering a left roundhouse into his abdomen, pushing him back. Despite being clad in iron, he felt his muscles bending under the strength of the kick, dull pain spreading over his lower area. As Gajeel slid on the floor, Jolene raised her right arm and put it behind her back, effectively blocking Gray's gauntleted punch that was aimed at her lower back. "That's not how you take a lady from behind." she said before quickly arching her right shoulder blade, which caused her sword to knock Gray's fist away. She quickly turned around and delivered a powerful left kick into his abdomen, causing him to spit out some blood and slide back on the floor, as he buckled over and clutched his stomach.

"I have to say, you guys make great stress relief dummies." she taunted them.

Both men glared daggers at the Commandment, before looking at each other. Gray quickly shifted his eyes onto Jolene's weapons, giving Gajeel a signal. The Dragon Slayer understood it and nodded in response. He took a deep breath and turned his right hand into a sword, this time extending its blade to maximum.

"You really think you will hit me with this?" asked Jolene with a raised eyebrow.

"Not yet." retorted the man before kicking the ground. He horizontally slashed his ridiculously big weapon at Jolene, who simply jumped over it and relocated to a safe distance. The strike destroyed all of the weapons that were stuck in the floor, shards of wood and metal flying in the air.

 ** _ICE MAKE: FLOOR!_**

Gray's voice appeared behind Jolene, as he kneeled and put his hands on the ground, which immediately started to freeze, a thick layer of ice sprawling all over the floor.

 _"I see. They destroyed those weapons to make sure I didn't use them as footing. Nice move."_ she thought. _"But still too naive."_

Just when the ice was about to reach Jolene's feet, she jumped up and plunged her left sword in the ground. She then put both of her feet on each side of its crossguard and straightened herself up, using the weapon as a foothold. The ice reached just to the middle of the sword, Jolene's feet safe and warm.

"What?!" yelled shocked Gray.

The Commandment simply smirked at his confusion and threw her sword in his direction, making him jump back to avoid it, as it planted itself in the ground just where he was recently kneeling. Jolene jumped from her current position and landed on her second sword, swiftly closing the distance between her and Gray. She kicked the sword one more time and launched herself at the man, before turning in the air and throwing a right kick at his head. Despite blocking the blow, Gray felt his head tilting to the side, his arms pressuring his cheek way too hard. Jolene turned around in the air and used the momentum to push Gray away, effectively knocking him back. Just when she finished spinning, she noticed Gajeel making his way towards her. She swiftly landed on the ice and threw her right arm back, almost as if readying herself to throw a bowling ball. A magic circle appeared right behind her hand, as she spun in her spot, before throwing her arm at the Dragon Slayer, a giant spear appearing from behind her figure. With no means of dodging it, Gajeel put his sword up and caught the weapon, successfully blocking it.

In the meantime, Jolene ran up to Gajeel and grabbed the flying spear. She brought it down onto him, making him sidestep out of the way. The weapon smacked the ground with a loud clank, missing its target. Using this timing, Gajeel stepped in and pulled his arm back.

Seeing this, Jolene straightened her spear and planted its tip into the ground. She then tilted her body to the side and using the weapon as a pole, spun around it, matching her timing with Gajeels. With no means of dodging, the Dragon Slayer was forced to put his guard up, as Jolene spun around one more time and smashed both of her legs into his figure, effectively knocking him back. She landed on the ground and pulled the weapon out, before leaning her figure towards the ground and running at mad speed, her spear held behind her back.

Gajeel stopped sliding on the floor and extended his right arm in his opponents direction.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DEMON LOGS!_**

Several iron spears shot out of of hand, only to be dodged by Jolene, as she jumped over them. While in the air, she threw her own spear at Gajeel, making it scratch his cheek. While still in the air, she Requipped a new set of swords and slashed at Gajeel from above, forcing him to block it with his own weapon.

"I'm starting to like you." Jolene licked her lips, as she pushed the Dragon Slayer back.

"Not interested." retorted the man in a strained voice, as he supported his right arm with his left hand.

Jolene pushed harder, effectively grinding the Dragon Slayer into the ground. Remembering Salamander's moves he picked up in Blackhill, Gajeel put all of his strength into his legs and pushed them up, using the momentum and greatly increasing his power, pushing Jolene's strike away and knocking her off balance. The woman's eyes widened in suprise, her hands losing their grip on her weapons.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!_**

Using this golden opportunity, Gajeel delivered a powerful strike to Jolene stomach, doubling her over in the process. Spit found its way through her mouth as she wheezed from both suprise and sudden lack of oxygen.

Not giving her a moment to rest, the Dragon Slayer followed through with a **Hard Fist,** only to have it blocked by a shield Requipped by Jolene.

 _"Her Requip speed is messed up."_ thought Gajeel. _"Not even Titania can change this fast."_

"Now you've done it." hissed Jolene. She smacked her shield to the side and knocked Gajeel's fist away. She then summoned an axe and slashed it at his head, making him lean back to avoid it. She let go of the weapon and brought her shield up, only to smash it into his chest and make him fall. Gajeel's back slammed against the ground, air leaving his lungs as Jolene put her foot on his sternum and summoned a new spear, bringing it up to stab him.

Her plan failed with multiple huge icicles flying at her from the side, which forced her to jump away. Gray ran up to the downed Dragon Slayer and stood in front of him, guarding him from the female.

"Get up, tincan." he commanded.

Gajeel slowly stood up from the ground, his torso numb from the impact. "She's movin' too much. That speed of hers is messed up, ain't no way we can catch her the way we are."

"So what are we supposed to do?" asked irritated Gray. His feeling of powerlessness against the Commandment was starting to get to him.

"I have a plan."

"Knowing you, it's stupid and reckless."

"Those are the best ones."

Gray hesitated for a while. "Fine. Spit it out."

Jolene watched both males discuss their plan in silence. "Oh no you don't!" she yelled before rushing at them, her hands glowing.

Gray noticed this and struck his open palm with his fist.

 ** _ICE MAKE: LANCE!_**

Multiple lances shot out of his hands, all of them aimed at Jolene. She swiftly jumped over them, all of them flying right beneath her.

"You fell for it." smirked Gray, suprising the brunette.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Gajeel unleashed a whirlpool of sharp iron from behind Gray, aiming it at falling Jolene. With nowhere to go, her options were limited, none of them guaranteeing her getting out of this situation unharmed. Or so they thought.

Jolene summoned an enormous iron shield just beneath her feet. Using it as a foothold, she kicked it as hard as she could and successfully jumped over Gajeel's **Roar,** making it hit nothing but air. The shield fell onto the ground, making it shake under its weight.

"Damn it!" grumbled Gray before punching his palm once again. But he didn't have enough time.

Jolene landed right in front of him and quickly kicked him in the liver as hard as she could. His torso bent, his eyes growing misty from the pain.

Gajeel rushed to help his friend, only to feel his face meet with her foot. His iron scales have successfully absorbed the impact, which allowed him to quickly retaliate with a dual attack of his iron clubs. Jolene jumped over them and using them as a path ran up on top of them to the Dragon Slayer and kicked him in the jaw, successfully smashing his figure into the ground, his head being the first to impact. His vision blurry, he felt blood stream down his face, as he tried to get up, only to feel a spear pierce his right thigh, as he screamed out in pain. The weapon plunged itself into the ground, securing him in his current spot.

"Be a good boy and stay here." whispered Jolene. She bent the handle of her spear to prevent Gajeel from pulling it out. "I'll be right back."

Just when was done with the black-haired man, she felt Gray trying to sneak up on her. She quickly ducked over his ice warhammer and kicked him in the gut once again, making him slowly fall to the ground.

Not wasting any time, Jolene Requipped a dagger and thrust it into his chest, aiming for his heart. In the last possible moment her blade was stopped by a shield of ice growing over his chest, much to her shock. She looked at Gray's face, only to meet his furious, alive eyes. He grabbed the woman's right hand and pulled her towards him, only to smash her face with his right hand, his fist covered in an ice glove. Blood spilled onto the floor from Jolene's cut lip, her head thrown to the side. Fury taking over her mind, she brought it back up only to be punched once again, this time in the gut. Gray repeatedly struck the female in every vital point he could remember, from her temple to her liver. In response, the woman repeatedly tried to stab him, her blade never getting as far as she'd want to because his ice shields that grew out from beneath his skin, as she left multiple shallow stab wounds all over his body.

"Enough!" yelled Jolene, overtaken with dull pain, blood dripping from her forehead and cut lip. Deciding that playtime was over, she summoned a katana and successfully pierced Gray's right side, the tip of her blade sticking out on the other side. Gray coughed up blood, as Jolene pushed the blade further and further, causing the man to scream in agony, as he released his iron grip on her hand.

"You deserve much more than that for what you did to me." she whispered with a sadistic, furious grin on her face, as she twisted her weapon to the side, making Gray suffer even more.

Suddenly, he grabbed her left hand, locking it in a grip even stronger than before, effectively stopping the katana's movements. Jolene tried to pull it out, but the blade did not budge even a millimeter.

"What _I_ did to _you_?!" he growled. All pent up emotions he's been feeling this day reached their boiling point. Everything he heard and seen resurfaced with full strength. He lifted his head up to meet her eyes, his wide and furious. "You've been killing people for years. You've enjoyed cruelty for years. You have no regard to human life, to you, it's amusing when someone suffers, when they're crying in pain! And yet you _dare_ to get worked up when something bad happens to _you_?! You guys aren't even human anymore!"

"Aren't you getting carried away?" she retorted, her voice losing its mocking tone. "We're punishing those who have wronged us. It's because of them we ended up in a place like this! None of us has received love, compassion, kindness! We were left to die before Master Silva found us! He gave us purpose, he gave us hope! This world is cruel, and we are its saviors! We are the ones who're doing what's right! We're purging this world from its filth, and tonight, we will pass it on to its rightful owner!"

"You're simple murderers!" yelled Gray. "You're psychopaths with too much power who killed thousands of innocent people! It's because of people like you Natsu and Erza's happiness was taken away from them!"

"Silence!" screeched Jolene. She punched Gray with her right hand. "What could someone like you know anything about us?! You've never experienced loss, what could you possibly know?"

Gray answered with a punch of his own, his left fist smashing into the woman's right cheekbone. He then reached out and grabbed her other hand, rendering both her and himself unable to use their arms.

"A big fucking deal." he responded. "I don't care who you are, or what your story is. All I care about is today. You blew up innocent people before my eyes, for that I will stop you."

Jolene spat out some blood and looked at Gray with fury in her eyes.

"Your Requipping may be fast, but all you can muster are weak, pathetic weapons made out of scrap. When it comes to your magic, Erza is so high above you you can't even hope to lick her boots." he mocked her.

"And yet here we are, you on the verge of death and me with minor injuries." retorted the woman.

"Both of our conditions are about to worsen." smirked Gray through the pain.

"Are you planning to bring me down with you?" she hissed.

Jolene heard something breaking behind him. Gray smirked at the sound, his lips curving in a sinister grin. "Correct."

Jolene watched in shock as Gajeel growled through his teeth and pulled out the spear out of his leg. He then stood up, panting heavily.

"You sure about this?" he asked Gray.

"Do it."

Jolene felt terror grasping her chest. She tried to free her arms, only to feel Gray's grip tightening on her wrists. With no other way to free herself, she decided to kick Gray under his chin. Her plan failed before it even began, as Gray smashed his feet into hers, nailing it into the floor.

"We've been through this a week ago. Getting your ass kicked can be a good lesson." said Gray. "Next time, make sure you Requip actual weapons, rather than toothpicks."

Gajeel inhaled as much air as possible, his chest and cheeks puffed out.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

A tornado filled with shards of iron swallowed Gray and Jolene, bits of the metal planting themselves into the floor. Gajeel kept his attack for good couple seconds before dispelling it in worry of his comrade. The Roar ended with a cloud of smoke erupting in the place where the pair stood. A figure fell out of the smoke, which revealed to be Gray. He had multiple cuts all over his body, but other than that, he was fine. He dropped to his knees and panted, his entire body stinging and itching.

"You retard. I was the one supposed to take the hit." grumbled Gajeel, as he walked up to the Maker and extended his hand in his direction.

"You'd die if I hit you." wheezed out Gray, before grabbing the hand and allowing Gajeel to pull him up. Despite his entire body aching like never before, he had no problem staying on his feet.

"Let's hurry, we can still catch up to the-"

"The reason I use simple weapons is quite simple, really."

Fairy Tail mages felt their eyes widen in shock. They both turned around so fast their necks hurt.

"The more complex the item you summon, the more magic power you waste. By summoning a hundred iron swords I use less magic that your precious Titania uses to Requip an enchanted breastplate."

Jolene walked out of the dust. Her suit was cut in various places, her naked right breast falling out for the entire world to see. She had multiple cuts all over her body, but other than that, there was no threat to her life. Her face expressed silent fury, but it remained rather stoic. She ripped her right pantleg off and turned it into a rag, which she used to wrap around her chest.

"If you wish to see one of my real weapons, be my guests."

Jolene's magic power increased rapidly, gravity on the floor increasing. A magic circle came out of her right hand, with a red sword appearing in her palm. It was much different than the weapons she had previously used. Its crossguard was in the shape of a scorched skull, the edge of the blade yellow and smoking, with the rest of the blade being scarlet red, except the handle, which was black. It highly resembled weapons used by Erza.

"I just remembered I have not introduced myself yet." she whispered. The tip of her blade touched the ground, immediately burning a hole in it.

" **5th Commandment: The Arsenal**. Make sure you remember it."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, First Floor**

Dryden rolled on the ground for what seemed to be a third time in the last 5 minutes. He was downed by yet another of Mirajane's punches, which irritated the woman.

"Are you messing around with me, bastard?" she growled.

Dryden stood up and wiped his chin with his sleeve. Despite not using his magic and resolving only to physical attacks, there was barely any scratch on his body. His expression resembled that of an interested child, eager to test the limits of their new toy.

"Don't be so mad, my darling." he replied. "I'm just measuring your value."

Mirajane did not respond.

"When I saw your **Satan Soul** , I was delighted. To finally meet one of my kind with this much power - marvelous! All I had to do was test whether you are worthy of holding this much strength. And you passed!" he exclaimed and extended his arms to his sides to showcase his joy. "I can finally go all out without fearing to break someone in a minute!"

"The hell are you talking about?" frowned disguisted Mira.

Dryden smirked in response. "You'll see soon enough."

All of a sudden, his figure was surrounded by blue light, his magic power increasing. His face twisted in a terrifying smile, the light wrapping itself around his body, causing the Demon to squint and cover her eyes.

After what seemed to be a minute, the light started to weaken, revealing everything hidden behind it, making Mira's eyes widen in fear and disbelief.

Dryden's face was entirely covered, his eyes being the only visible parts of his face, giant horns growing out of his forehead, which were slightly pointed to the back of his head. His mouth was covered by a giant set of clenched, sharp white teeth. His torso and limbs were tightly secured under plated, blue armor, with blades growing out of each of his elbows. His hands and feet have grown in size, their fingers and toes longer as well, with ferocious claws and talons at the end of them. Behind his back spread a giant pair of wings, their joints light blue and the skin in-between each joint white in color. His tail smashed into the floor with enough force to completely shatter it, the trident shaped tip of his tail stuck in the wooden surface. No matter how much she denied it, he looked almost like a...

 ** _TAKEOVER: DRAGON SOUL_**

Dryden exclaimed the name of his form and flapped his wings, creating powerful currents of wind in Mira's direction, which made her slide on the floor, pushing back a meter or two. She lowered her guard and continued to gaze at the man's form in awe.

"This is impossible..." she breathed.

"Thanks to Master Silva's wisdom and guidance, I was able to acquire remains of the soul of a Crystal Dragon and successfully mold them into this form." explained the Commandment. He flapped his wings and raised himself in the air, hovering in his spot mere centimeters above the ground. "Although this is only the shadow of its former greatness, back when it belonged to its original master, this form is powerful enough to make Master Silva entrust me with the title of **4th Commandment: The Armor**. Dragons are, after all, the superior beings in this world."

Mira gulped. His magic power was enough of a proof to make her realise she was up against one hell of an opponent. His armor looked not only sinister, but tough as well. That would explain his unnatural durability, even when not wearing it.

Dryden spread his arms and landed on the floor. "Now then, Mirajane Strauss!" he yelled. "Let the battle between Demon and a Dragon begin!"

 **To be continued in Chapter 10: Demon vs. Dragon.**

* * *

 **Okay, this was one hell of a ride. Gray's outburst was probably the hardest to write, and I still feel like I could much better with it. Oh well, that's what I have you guys for - telling me how to make this story better by pointing out mistakes I don't see myself.**

 **I promised you some disclaimers, so here they are:**

 **\- In their fight with Jolene, both Gajeel and Gray used tricks they picked up during their fight with Natsu in chapter 2. I decided to make them learn from their defeats, rather than sulk and blame Natsu forever.**

 **\- Gray eavesdropped a bit of Natsu's story, hence his mention of his name in his touchy moment.**

 **\- The Commandments will not receive a backstory of their own, but bits of their past will be revealed through dialogue. I don't want to suffocate you with chapters full of characters you probably despise.**

 **\- Lucy standing up to Erza was also hard to write. Lucy talks alot of shit to her enemies, but she'd never talked that way to her friends, therefore getting her in character was rather difficult. I hope I did the right thing.**

 **\- The reason Jolene was this weak when compared to Natsu does come from the fact she is weaker than him, but also his growth. She was taken by suprise, that's why she was so terrified. If she was aware of his strength, the squabble wouldn't be this one sided.**

 **Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it and as always, make sure to let me know if you did in reviews. See ya!**


	10. Demon vs Dragon

**Hello! Welcome to Chapter 10, a chapter filled with fight sequences and action. Don't expect much dialogue in here, and prepare for flat out brawling. I hope I did not make the fights too repetetive and I hope you have fun reading it!**

* * *

Mira took a fighting stance, sweat running down her face both from the intensity of Dryden's magic and Natsu's fire, which had already spread all over the nearby area.

With force strong enough to send wind currents so powerful they cracked the walls, both Mirajane and Dryden flapped their wings and rushed at each other, their fists clashing into each other, creating a powerful shockwave in the process. They both remained in the air just above the ground, both of them trying to overpower the other. Mira, feeling dull pain spreading all over her fist grit her teeth and growled from effort, Dryden's hard, heavy figure not budging even an inch. Feeling herself being pushed back, Mira relaxed her shoulder just a bit to let him overpower her and took away her fist at the last moment, dodging the strike in the process. She slipped her head to her right and immediately followed with a left high kick, only to feel it being blocked, as Dryden raised his right forearm just in time to catch the attack. Both wizards looked into each other's eyes before erupting in a vast exchange of kicks, punches and slashes of their claws, their movements becoming a blur.

Dryden's punch flew right above her left ear, his elbow blade lightly scratching the first layer of her skin. Memorizing what she witnessed few minutes ago, she copied Salamander's move and struck Dryden with the exact same blow right under his chin, her uppercut's swing creating wind that spread all around the area. However, unlike Natsu, she was unable to blow Dryden's head away, his powerful armor killing the impact. Mira grit her teeth in pain and jumped back, her right hand numb and shaking.

Not giving her too much time to rest, The Armor stretched his wings and dashed towards Mira, suprising the Demon. He slashed at her face with his right hand, forcing her to sidestep to her left. Just before she could complete her dodge, Dryden turned his hand around by 180 degrees and swiped his arm to his right, effectively catching Mira's cheek with his middle claw. Few drops of blood flowed down her face from her new cut, greatly angering the woman. She quickly stepped in and kicked Dryden's middle section with her right leg, pushing him back in the process. She extended her hands in front of her chest, a giant, dark-blue vortex forming in her palms and launched a follow-up attack.

 ** _EVIL EXPLOSION!_**

The vortex launched out of her hands and crashed into shocked Dryden, clearly suprising him with its speed. A giant explosion shook the entire floor, pieces of the ground flying in all directions. Mira breathed out heavily and steadied her breathing, waiting for the results of her attack in anticipation.

Suddenly, she felt dull pain taking over her stomach, as Dryden drove his right feet deep into her abdomen, blowing her back in the process. Blood streaming down the corners of her mouth, Mira spread her wings as wide as she could and used them to halt herself. She looked at Dryden, only to feel her eyes widen in shock at his unscathed state. His armor was dirtied, but that was all - not even a single scratch. Clicking her tongue in irritation she wiped the blood off her mouth with her thumb and put up a guard once again.

"Was that your strongest attack?" asked Dryden, a note of disappointment in his voice, which angered the Demon.

"A warning shot." she shot back.

"That's very good to hear." he grinned behind his set of teeth and dashed at Mira, with the woman parroting him a moment later.

Both mages crashed into each other, their forearms clashing. Mira used the moment to smack Dryden's arm with hers and smacked it aside, following through with a right straight afterwards. The punch connected with his jaw, rendered completely uneffective. He pushed her arm aside with his left hand and answered with a right straight of his own, only to have Mira duck right under it. Her knees bent, she closed the distance and wrapped her arms around Dryden's waist and left arm, leaving him with just his right hand free from her grip and lifted him off the ground, flying him towards the ceiling. Just before she reached it, she stopped and turned in the air, aiming her and Dryden's heads towards the ground and diving into it at mad speed.

"You're creative, I'll give you that." he taunted before being released from Mirajane's deathlock. He crashed into the ground, causing it to crumble around the place he fell in.

Just before the dust could settle, he flew right out of it, dashing at Mira at full speed. He planted his fist deep into her abdomen, causing her to buckle over in agony and leaned over towards her ear.

"Any more clever ideas?" he whispered. Before she could retort, he raised his arms up, joined his hands above his head and brought them down like a hammer, crashing them into Mira's back.

The Demon crashed into the very same spot Dryden was thrown into, causing the floor to collapse under her weight. Air leaving her lungs, she gasped in pain, her entire lower area burning and aching.

 _"That armor of his...it's too strong."_ she thought. _"I doubt I'll be able to break it even with stronger attacks."_

Mira stood up from the ground and took couple deep breaths, strength returning to her body. She looked at Dryden with hateful eyes, but kept her head coolheaded enough to think the situation through. _"If this thing really is an armor, then it's not that different from Erza's armors. Unlike me, he does not gain features of the crratures he's subdued, his TakeOver relies solely around this stupid armor, otherwise he would have used some dragon attacks by now. If it's just an armor, then..."_. Mira's eyes squinted as she looked at Dryden's arms - his elbow blades were certainly a problem, and had to be dealt with.

Focused on the first step of her plan, Mira took a deep breath and took off the ground, slowly raising herself higher in the air. Natsu's fire was slowly taking over the entire floor, with Gray's elevator being the only place safe from the scorching flames. An all-out aerial battle was inevitable.

"I'm enjoying this battle more and more with each second." smirked Dryden and threw himself at Mira, who responded by doing the same.

 _"I have only one shot at this. If I fail, he'll figure out what I'm up to. I have to focus and wait for the perfect chance!"_ thought Mira, before blocking Dryden's kick with her right arm.

She pushed his leg away and unleashed a barrage of punches onto his body, forcing him to defend himself. Despite the hardness of his armor, he still protected himself as if his skin was bare and vulnerable. His fighting instincts were sharp and battle hardened, not seduced by his apparent invulnerability.

Dryden caught Mira's right hand with his own right in the middle of the strike and pushed it in his direction, throwing a right kick at the same time. The kick connected with Mira's left hand, which she put on her stomach at the last moment, killing some of the impact. They remained in this awkward position before releasing each other from their grips and engaging in yet another exchange of punches and kicks, neither giving up.

Mira's limbs were slowly starting to get overtaken by dull pain, caused from repeated strikes on the Commandment's hard armor. Feeling that she could no longer keep this game up, Mira lowered her guard and allowed Dryden to quickly close the distance. His right straight flew right beside her ear, as she headslipped to her left. He followed with a left hook, which she ducked under and using her wings, flew away from him. He quickly caught on with her and threw another set of strikes, all of them missing their target.

Mira was completely on defense, dancing in the air and dodging each and every single one of Dryden's attacks, which greatly irritated the man. He threw yet another right straight, only to have Mira slip away to her left once again.

 _"Watch closely."_ she reminded herself in thoughts, leaning her body backwards to avoid a right roundhouse. _"Wait for your chance. Don't miss it!"_

Suddenly, a wave of pain spread all over her right cheekbone, as Dryden successfully feinted a right straight, followed by a compact left hook. Mira felt her body being pushed away, but quickly regained her position and continued to dodge his strikes.

Losing his temper, Dryden growled and threw a barrage of punches at Mira, all of them losing their previous sharpness. His anger dulled his reasoning, which opened the golden door to Mira's plan. She ducked right under his overhand right and stepped to her left. She quickly got a hold of his elbow blade with her left hand and securing him in place, delivered a powerful right kick to his left cheek, at the same time twisting the blade downwards.

The part of Dryden's armor broke, as it stayed in Mirajane's hand, while its owner was sent flying. Not wasting even a second, Mira threw the blade aside and dived after Dryden. Anticipating it, he came to a halt just before hitting the ground and prepared for the Demon's attack. He dodged her strike and kneed her in the chest, making her gasp for air. He then grabbed her hair and pulled her head back, delivering a right uppecut into her stomach afterwards. Gasping and wheezing for air, Mira buckled over and dropped to her knees. Dryden pulled his right leg back and kicked Mira in the ribs, making her roll on the ground. He quickly chased after her and followed through with a right straight, only to feel Mira's foot on his nose, as she retaliated with a kick. His fist stopped just before her twisted with pain, smirking face. She grabbed a hold of Dryden's dragon-like hand and twisted her hips. She threw both of her legs over his head and put his elbow in-between her inner thighs, pushing down a second after.

Mirajane secured Dryden in a tight armbar, as she smashed him into the ground with enough force to crack it, immediately pushing her hips upwards. As she expected, Dryden's elbow was covered with a thin layer of skin-looking material, which started to easily crack under her pressure.

 _"It's working!"_ she chanted to herself. _"First his arm, then his legs!"_ With that said, she pushed her hips to their absolute limits, her calves beginning to cramp. Dryden's armor cracked under her power, pieces of blue crystal flying in the air.

"You really are creative." muttered Dryden, his voice a mix of pain and ironic amusement.

Suddenly, Mira felt her grip loosening, as Dryden started to pull his arm out of her hands with the strength of his shoulder and right breast alone. Her eyes widened in shock for a moment, before gritting her teeth and pulling back, turning her arm-lock into a power struggle. Feeling himself being overpowered, Dryden started to twist his body to his right, effectively laying down on his side, fighting Mira's attempts at keeping him under herself in the process. He then twisted even more to allow himself to put his left knee on the ground and pulled his right leg back, his right knee touching the ground as well. His teeth clenching themselves in pain from the angle his hand was twisted in, he quickly walked on his knees towards Mira and got into kneeling position, leaning towards her and bending his elbow in the process, which loosened the pressure on his already sore joint. With this position secured, he breathed in relief, pain already leaving him, as Mira desperately tried to break his hand.

Seeing that it was pointless, Mira released Dryden's head from her legs and quickly changed their position, switching from an armbar to a triangle. She squeezed him with her legs as hard as she could and grabbed his sticking right arm, pulling it down and starting to break it once again. Fed up with the woman's holds, Dryden put his feet on the ground and straightened his back, with Mira still wrapped around his torso. He lifted her as high as he could, before using the momentum to pull him back towards the ground, as he intended to smash Mira into the ground. She anticipated it, however, and released her grip at the last second, her feet landing safely on the ground. She landed one final punch on the Commandment's face before backstepping away from him.

The Armor breathed out heavily and moved his arm around, getting the pain out of his sore joint. "I don't know whether I should be impressed that you've managed to break my armor, or be furious." he said, his voice losing its previous playfullness. "I think I'll go with furious."

In one, swift movement he dashed at Mira at speed she hasn't seen before and kicked her in the gut, causing her to cough up blood. He quickly followed with a left hook to her temple and right roundhouse in the same spot, effectively sending her rocked figure flying. Barely hanging onto consciousness, Mira used her left hand to launch herself off the ground and flipped in the air, before landing on all fours. She kicked the ground as hard as she could and flew straight into Dryden, suprising him with her speed. He blocked her punch with his right forearm, the shockwave waking up his aching elbow. He angrily brushed Mira's hand aside and kicked her in her right side, only to have it blocked by her right hand. She brushed his leg away and put her hands in front of his face.

 ** _EVIL EXPLOSION!_**

Another explosion hit him, this time point blank. Although it didn't damage his armor, the impact sent him flying backwards. Dust and smoke filled the entire floor, Natsu's fire already catching the walls in it, the entire floor slowly beginning to burn down. Dryden tensed his senses and searched for Mirajane, anticipating a sneak attack from the Demon. Unknowingly to him, she was already behind him, her hands held behind her back with a giant orb of energy forming in-between them. When he finally noticed, it was too late, as Mirajane unleashed her attack on his defenseless figure.

 ** _SOUL EXTINCTOR!_**

Dryden's dragon-like form was completely swallowed by a large black-purple beam, as it cleared out the dust and a good portion of the flames. The attack flew through the entire floor and crashed straight through a wall, flying towards the ocean.

Panting heavily, Mira lowered her arms, her exhaustion slowly catching up to her. Blood flowed down her face from her head wound, multiple bruises on her body, her hands numb and shaky from repeatedly hitting Dryden's hard armor. With her vision still blurry after being hit in the temple, Mira squinted her eyes and carefully watched the spot where Dryden was. Finally, after a good minute the dust settled and the sight shocked and terrified Mira right to the core.

Dryden's body was covered by his left wing. It was burned and seemingly broken, with pieces of its skin missing and hanging from their original spot, his joints twisted and disfigured, however other than that, he was uninjured. He slowly put his wounded wing aside and stared at Mirajane, his eyes wide and furious.

"This is the first time someone has injured me this far." he whispered, his voice full of anger. "I'm impressed."

Mira grit her teeth and put up a guard once again, her breath unsteady and body heavy.

"Damn monster." she growled to herself, before bracing herself for Dryden's charge.

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Second Floor**

Gajeel grunted in pain and clutched his wounded shoulder, a giant, already cauterized cut spread all over its length, up to his left breast.

"Stop treatin' me like a kid! Let me fight!" he roared at Gray, who was standing right in front of him.

The Maker clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked the ground with his right leg, a giant chain of ice spikes growing in front of it and heading in Jolene's direction. The woman jumped over them and Requipped a shield underneath her feet to launch herself at both males. Anticipating it, Gray punched his open palm, a wall of ice growing in front of him. Jolene slashed at the wall and cut right through it, melted ice falling onto the ground. As soon as her feet touched the ground she dashed at Gray, who threw several ice spears in her direction in response. Having no means of dodging them, Jolene blocked them with her swords, as they melted a short moment after coming in contact with the blade.

"You can't even stand! Shut the hell up and stay here!" yelled Gray in response, before molding yet another set of spears. "Support me if you're so eager to fight!"

Gajeel growled in anger. Gray was right, he couldn't stand on his wounded leg, even with Gray's first aid in form of ice put over the wound. He looked at the Maker, his teeth clenching even more. He was in no better situation, forced to stay in one place and unable to move like he used to. Blood flowed down Gray's pants from his stomach stab wounds, a small pool of blood forming by his feet. Jolene, on the other hand, although weaker and slower than before, was rather fine when compared to them and continuously blocked every single one of their attempts of taking her down. Her blade was a perfect counter to Gray's ice - its edge was hot enough to burn through literally anything. Wounds inflicted by this blade did not shed blood, instead, they cauterized them immediately, greatly increasing the pain in the process. No matter how Gajeel looked at this situation, they were in deep shit.

Gray slipped his head to his left in panic, one of Jolene's iron spears flying right by his ear. The woman used this moment to close the distance and thrust her blade at Gray, who managed to block it with an ice barrier. The ice immediately started to melt, with The Arsenal pushing it closer and closer towards his heart.

Sick and tired of being protected, Gajeel stood up on his only healthy leg and, much to her suprise, punched Jolene right in the jaw with his **Hard Fist**. Jolene's head flew to the side, the grip on her blade loosening. Using this golden opportunity, Gray molded an ice warhammer and struck the woman right in her ribcage, causing her to cough up blood.

Jolene's body was blown back, as she struggled to regain her position in the air. She landed on her back and quickly flipped back, sliding on the ground on her knees. Gray quickly walked around his barrier and grabbed the woman's sword by the handle, locking it in place. Gajeel limped from the other side and crashed his fist into its blade, both men successfully breaking the weapon.

"One pain in the ass less." said Gajeel, as Gray threw the broken sword aside.

"Don't be too happy, she probably has twenty more." reminded grimly Gray.

Jolene stared at Fairy Tail mages with pure hatred in her eyes. She stood up from her spot and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, at the same time extending the other one to the side. Bright, familiar energy formed around her hand, as it began to take a shape.

"Gimme a break." sighed Gajeel and took a fighting stance, best to his ability.

The light has finally taken a shape, a black katana forming in Jolene's hand. Its blade, guard and handle were pure black, with white bandages wrapped over the handle, a quite lengthy strap of said bandages extending past the handle, as it hanged off the sword.

"Seems like I'm still too slow." she muttered to herself, Gajeel briefly her words.

"She's up to something. Don't take your eyes off of her." he said to Gray, who simply nodded in response.

Suddenly, Jolene disappeared. Gajeel's eyes widened in shock, his senses confused. She did not run, jump or even dash - she simply vanished in thin air. Then, his ears picked up the sound of a blade being raised behind him and quickly turned around, blocking Jolene's strike with his iron club.

The woman was already behind them, her attack intended for Gray interrupted by Gajeel. Gray turned around, just as shocked as Gajeel and punched his palm, despair grabbing his heart.

 ** _ICE MAKE: TOWER!_**

A tower of ice grew from beneath Jolene, as it took the woman upwards and smashed into the ceiling, seemingly crushing the woman. Gray panted and relaxed his hands, his eyss glued to the ceiling.

"Looking for someone?"

His eyes widened in horror, as he turned around, only to find Jolene slashing at his head from behind him. He leaned back at the last second, her blade brefly catching his forehead, as it left a small cut over his left eye. Jolene stepped in to finish her job, only to be forced to block Gajeel's club, aimed at her solar plexus. She brushed it off and jumped back, creating distance between herself and her opponents. Just before her feet touched the ground, she vanished again.

Not even a second after that, Gajeel felt stinging, terrible pain spreading over his back. Jolene was already behind him and slashed his scaled back, her blade cutting through the metal and cutting his skin. The scales greatly killed the impact, however the cut was still serious. The Dragon Slayer feel to his knees, breathing heavily. Jolene raised her sword above her head, intending on stabbing Gajeel, but Gray quickly rushed in and blocked the attack with his ice sword. He pushed it away and slashed at Jolene, forcing her to defend herself, much to her shock.

An exchange of slashes erupted between the mages, both of them showing great skills in swordsmanship. Grateful to Erza for training him in swordfighting, Gray blocked Jolene's slash with one hand and molded a new blade in his other one, as he struck horizontally at the woman. She jumped over it and kicked at his head, only to have it blocked by his blades. Gray slid on the floor on his feet and grimaced, his wounds letting him know off their presence.

Jolene vanished from his sight yet again, but this time, he remained calm.

 _"This sword does not increase her speed."_ he thought. _"Her attack speed has not increased, in fact, it's much slower than before. If I tried to use swords against her earlier, she'd have killed me in a matter of seconds, but now, I actually have a chance. If her overall speed has not increased, and yet she can disappear in thin air, there's only one answer..."_

He quickly looked up and backstepped away from Jolene, who attacked him from above. As soon as his feet touched the ground he stepped in and clashed his blades with the woman.

"Teleportation." he said, smirking at the woman. "This sword allows you to teleport, with an interval in-between each jump, doesn't it?"

Jolene scowled at him. "Do you want a reward for figuring out something this simple?"

The ice mage smirked back in response and pushed harder, effectively gaining the upper hand on the woman. She grit her teeth in fury and pushed as hard as she could, brushing Gray off of her. She quickly followed through with a kick to his abdomen, making him cough up blood. Gray fell onto his back and slid on the ground, his blades falling out of his grip. Jolene ran after him and jumped in the air, landing on top of him. She raised her right leg and crashed her foot into his wound, her heel slowly entering it*.

Gray's screams of agony echoed throughout the floor, as he desperately locked his grip onto her ankle and tried to shake her off. Jolene stared at his squirming figure with a sadistic smile growing on her face and her eyes expressing pure lust, as she listened to his pained cries in pure delight and pleasure.

"You look so cute right now." she breathed out as he continued to yell and raised her blade up. "I almost regret having to kill you."

The Commandment brought her blade down, only to have it blocked by Gajeel's iron sword. Clenching her teeth in irritation, she switched her target and pushed his blade away, before slashing at him. Wobbly on his feet, Gajeel grit his teeth from pain and sidestepped, dodging the attack. He followed through with a slash of his own, only to hit nothing but thin air. Using his senses to their maximum, he pinpointed her new position and put his arm on his back, blocking Jolene's thrust. He turned his left hand into an iron club and backfisted at the woman, successfully hitting her in the cheek. Blood spilled onto the floor from her freshly cut mouth, as she lost balance and was forced to take couple awkward steps to remain on her feet.

Dragging his leg behind him, Gajeel rushed after her and pulled his arm back, ready to strike her yet again, only to feel dull pain in his lower area, as Jolene kicked him just above the crotch. He buckled over and allowed Jolene to kick him in his left temple, which sent him to the floor. She gently walked up to him and raised her blade up, only to feel her head being blown back, with Gajeel kicking his right under her chin with his healthy leg. The kick rocked her harder than she anticipated, the grip on her weapon loosening against her will. Before the blade fell to the ground, Gajeel grabbed it and punched the woman in her left side, her ribs slightly cracking under the weight of his iron fist. He then lifted up the sword and broke it on his knee, casting the smaller part with its handle aside. He then ate the remaining part, a small chunk of his magic power coming back. After swallowing the last bit of the metal, he leaned back and puffed his cheeks out.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Jolene's figure was once again swallowed by a whirlpool of iron blades and shards. Although weaker, the attack was still powerful enough to reach the wall of the floor and greatly crack it.

His lungs getting empty, Gajeel stopped his attack and panted heavily, regaining his breath. He listened to the woman's movements, expecting her to rush out of the cloud at any moment. He was right to do so, as couple seconds later she dashed out of the dust unharmed, a giant shield in front of her. She charged at Gajeel and crashed into him at full speed, sending him flying. Gritting his teeth in pain, the Dragon Slayer shifted his right hand into a club and extended it towards the ground, stopping himself from falling. He looked at Jolene who was already in front of him, a new blade in her hands. Seeing no other way, Gajeel put up his left arm and felt the blade pierce right through his iron scales, as it came out on the other side of his forearm. He screamed out in pain, with The Arsenal pushing the blade with all her remaining strength. Seeing that it won't stop there, he quickly grabbed the blade with his remaining hand, stopping it right in front of his eye. This stopped Jolene's advance and left both wizards in a power struggle, both of them straining each other past their limits.

"How the hell can you even move?!" she growled in annoyance.

"You're simply too weak to take me down, that's all." he smirked through pain, his body at its limit. "No wonder Salamander took one of you down already, you ain't worth shit."

At the mention of Grigol, Jolene's face twisted in pure fury, which in turn greatly increased her strength, as she began to overpower Gajeel. The tip of her blade was now slowly impaling itself into his face, as he struggled to keep it away from himself, his face still grinning. In quick session he picked the perfect moment to counterattack and let go of the blade, as it slid off his left cheek, leaving a long scratch on his iron scales. He quickly put his hand on hip level and struck the sword with an uppercut, breaking it in the process. He used Jolene's shock as a chance and delivered one final kick to her abdomen, before succumbing to exhaustion and blood loss, as he fell to his knees, his iron scales dispelling.

Unfortunately for the Dragon Slayer, the woman stayed on her feet and was now Requipping yet another sword, running towards him at the same time. Just when she was about to cut his head off, Gajeel's life was saved by an icicle sent by Gray, who was back on his feet, his face twisted in determination and anger. He punched his palm and send another set of icicles in her direction, making her to deflect them one by one. Cursing the man in her mind, Jolene deflected one final piece of ice, before dashing at Gajeel once again, only to find that he was no longer there, but instead in front of her, with his fist pulled all the way back.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!_**

Jolene's face was bashed in, her nose and lips leaving rivers of blood in the air, as she began to fall onto her back. Hanging onto her consciousness with great difficulty, she grit her teeth and pulled herself back, only to find Gray and Gajeel right in front of her, both of them reading their attacks.

 ** _ICE MAKE: GAUNTLET!_**

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!_**

Both men drove their fists into the womans stomach, leaving her gasping for air. She bent over and slid on the ground on her feet, saliva flowing onto the floor from her open mouth. Not giving her any chances, Gray roared and punched his open palm, using a vast portion of his remaining magic power to finish off the woman.

 ** _ICE MAKE: GUNGNIR!_**

A giant lance of ice grew out from the ground beneath Jolene and smashed her into the ceiling, breaking it in the process. The woman's limp figure fell to the ground, vanishing in dust. Not finished with her just yet, Gray and Gajeel prepared their final attacks.

 ** _ICE MAKE: BAZOOKA!_**

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

A ball of ice and a whirlpool of iron made their way where Jolene fell, a big explosion of said elements erupting in hit place, shards of ice and iron flying in all directions. Panting heavily, both men released their magics and finally relaxed their tense bodies.

"She has to be down by now." wheezed out Gray. "She just has to."

Gajeel did not respond and stabbed the ground with his sword, stopping himself from falling to the ground.

"Can you walk?" asked him Gray, as he watched his friend struggle to stay on his feet.

Gajeel looked at him for moment, before sighing tiredly. "No. Gimme a moment, I have to-"

Gajeel's body was thrust forward, as something flew right through his right shoulder, leaving a big hole in his body. Gray watched in terror as Gajeel slowly shifted his head to take a look at his wound, before coughing up a large amount of blood and falling onto his face like a ragdoll.

"Gajeel!" cried out Gray, his voice full of horror and despair. He quickly looked in the attack's direction and felt fear grab every fiber of his being.

There stood Jolene, her body covered in blood and ice, a giant, as big as her black bow in her grip. Behind her were three enormous, stuck in the ground and battered in shields she most likely used to protect herself with from their last attacks. Her breathing was raspy and uneven, her eyes misty, as she reached out for another arrow, ready to defeat her last remaining opponent with it.

Seeing no other choice, Gray grabbed Gajeel as quickly as he could and lifted him off the ground, securing his arm over his neck. In the corner of his eye he saw Jolene knock her bow and punched his hand one more time, growing a wall of ice before him, separating himself from the woman.

The arrow completely decimated the wall, as it flew right through the solid water and flew out of the tower after hitting the nearby wall. The ice began to crack and few seconds later the wall broke, revealing that Gray and Gajeel were nowhere to be found, with the nearest window being broken into pieces.

Jolene breathed out heavily and slowly walked up to the window, only to witness an already crumbling staircase made out of ice, several trails of blood smeared on top of it..

She smirked at the sight and dispelled her bow, before limping away from the window.

Both Fairy Tail mages ran away from their opponent, exhausted and injured way past their limit, as Gray dragged unconscious Gajeel towards Christina. Gritting his teeth in effort, he put his hand on top of his friend's fresh wound and gently cooled it down with his magic. Emotions taking over him, Gray cried to himself in frustration, his pride and ambitions taking yet another hurtful hit.

"I'm sorry." he muttered, not sure to whom exactly.

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Third Floor**

Erza kicked her last opponent, throwing him onto the nearby wall. She let out a small breath and looked around, seeing that her comrades have taken care of their opponents as well.

Upon getting further into the floor, they were ambushed by subordinates of Seven Commandments, who this time were not slaves, but Dark Mages. Taking this information with relief, the group was much more efficient in defeating the aggressors, as they now successfully made their way through the rest of the floor. However, despite overcoming thjis obstacle, Erza was not happy about it, as she dreaded setting her foot in the upper floor.

After couple minutes of running they took the last corner and the entrance to Fourth Floor was fully visible. Clenching her fists and her steps heavier, Erza ran up the last steps and entered the floor.

She was met with the familiar sight of Fourth Floor, other known as The Prison.

Unlike other levels, which were consisted of several rooms, corridors and halls, this one was an open one, its entirety seen just upon entrance. It was the highest floor out of all of them, standing at terrifying 30 meters tall from the ground to the ceiling. In the middle of the floor was a giant mining area, with cells spreading all over the floor from few meters away from the ground up to the ceiling. The previously enormous giant mountain of materials the tower was built with was now gone, replaced with an even terrain, covered with broken and used tools, some of them bloodied.

Seeing that Erza was not contacting, Laxus looked all over the area and sniffed, Natsu smelling the air right beside him as well.

"They're here." said the pinkette, with Laxus nodding in approval.

"You think it's another trap?" he asked.

Natsu slowly shook his head. "I don't think so. They don't care whether we save these people or not, all they want is me. Those guys below were used to kill you. They probably didn't think we'd get this far."

Seeing her friend's distress, Lucy walked up to Erza and put her hand on the knight's shoulder. "You ok?" she asked.

Erza closed her eyes and breathed out through her nose. "Yes." she said, before turning her head to meet Lucy's. "Let's get these people out of here."

"No." said Lucy, suprising the knight.

"What do you mean, _no_?" she asked.

"Me and Juvia will take care of this. You three head upstairs and defeat their Master."

Erza's eyes squinted. Originally this is where she'd planned on leaving them, however, she couldn't help but feel the hunch that this was a trap. Up until now, they have encountered three Commandments. with three remaining and one of them hiding. They were in the very middle of the tower, with three floors left. A chance that one of them was hiding in here was very high, way too high to leave both of them alone in here.

"We don't have time." said Laxus, irritating the knight. "Our priority is taking down that brainwashing bastard, and so far we haven't seen him. The enemy is smart, they're probably keeping him at the very top. We can't save those people and then head on to beat that guy. We have to split up."

Erza bit her lip. She couldn't help but admit Laxus was right. Still, she was hesitant to go with his idea.

"Arthur is not here."

Natsu's voice shook her out of her trance. She looked at him, slightly confused.

"That old man from first floor." continued Natsu. "He's the most loyal Commandment. He's probably right beside Silva by now. Ain't no way he's on this floor. Same with Luppi. Silva is probably keeping him on a leash. The last one is also not here, trust me, he'd let us know if he was."

Erza continued to stare at the pinkette. His words did calm her down, even if only a little. He spent a long time with those people, he knew them the best.

"Very well." she sighed. "We will head on ahead, while you two rescue everyone on this floor. Take them to the floor below and use the window right next to the staircase. You can use your magics to safely get them down. Go to the ship along with them and stay there until we come back, are we clear?"

Lucy and Juvia nodded before running up the stairs. Erza exhaled through her nose and looked at her remaining two companions.

"Let's go." she said and led them through the floor, as they followed her.

Lucy quickly ran up to the first cell and grabbed the bars, peeking inside. She noticed three starved children, two boys and a girl no older than Wendy sitting in the back corner, all of them hugging each other in fear. The sight broke the blonde's heart, as she quickly summoned Cancer and used him to cut through the lock with Juvia breaking into the neighboring cell.

Lucy entered the cell and slowly walked up to the children, who whimpered at the sight of her, tightly clutching themselves.

The blonde gulped and felt her eyes sting. "It's alright." she said. "I won't hurt you. Look."

She gently lifted her right hand and showed her guild mark to the children. "I'm from Fairy Tail. I'm here to help."

The oldest boy stood up and slowly walked up to the woman, carefully putting his feet down. He inspected the guildmark, checking its authenticity. Lucy smiled even wider and whispered in soft tone. "I promise. I'm not here to hurt you."

The boy's eyes softened, as he quickly ran up to the blonde and hugged her, the rest of the kids following him. She felt her eyes widen in shock, but she wrapped her arms around the children and hugged them back, feeling their skinny bodies with her palms, their sticking out bones slightly hurting her chest. She felt tears flow down her face, but did not succumb to her anger.

"Let's get you out of here." she whispered, before standing up and grabbing their hands, leading them out of their prison.

They walked out of the cell and met up with Juvia, who was currently holding a small girl in her arms, as she slept from exhaustion in the rainwoman's grip. Juvia sent Lucy an understanding and burning look, as the blonde slowly nodded with a similar stare of her own. They knew it beforehand, but this sight confirmed their feelings entirely.

Seven Commandments were not human.

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, First Floor**

Mira locked yet another of Dryden's punches, feeling her body slowly give out. Each punch was taking a bigger toll on her, his superior durability allowing him to overpower the Demon. She threw a right high kick aimed at his head, only to have it blocked midway through and swatted away like a fly, followed by his counter attack in form of a right body blow, hitting right into her bruised stomach.

The amount of body blows she'd received in this fight was unimaginable, her entire abdomen slowly taking the color of light purple. The white-haired mage was blown back once again, her back hitting the wall. She gasped and slid on it to the ground, crashing like a ragdoll.

"I must thank you, Mirajane Strauss." said Dryden, as he watched the woman struggle to stand up. "Despite all the anger you've brought me, I have not enjoyed myself this much in years. You are truly worthy of the title "The Demon". You'd make a fine Commandment."

Mira's eyes widened, anger taking over her mind. "I'd rather die than associate myself with filth like you." she hissed, her voice poisonous. The Armor simply snorted in amusement at her remark.

Mirajane panted heavily, trying to come up with a new strategy. Although all of her previous tactics were successful, the effects were nowhere near what she'd imagined. Her damage was took much more grevious when compared to his. She then noticed the fire slowly catching up to her, which forced her to move away from her position.

 _"Damn Salamander, he just had to make things harder."_ she shot at the pinkette in her thoughts. _"Why are all Dragon Slayers this obnoxious-"_

Like a hammer, Mirajane felt something hitting her mind with enormous force, a crazy idea forming in her head. She quickly looked at the fire and then at her hand, at fire and back at the hand. She clutched her fist and thought it through one more time. After coming to a conclusion that she had no other choice, she stood up and looked over the area in search of a necessary item. Luckily, she found it and quickly ran up to it. She grabbed the remains of a cloak and tear it into a rag. She then wrapped it around her hand like a bandage and looked at Dryden, who continued to stare at her from above.

"It's been fun, but I must eliminate you now. Brace yourself."

With that said, he spread his wings and dived at Mira. The woman clicked her tongue in irritation, not yet ready to go with her plan, but seeing no other choice, she turned around to cover her right hand, clenched her fist and put it into Natsu's fire. The flames quickly caught the cloth on fire, which spread all over Mira's hand. Whimpering in pain, the Demon focused her pain and anger on Dryden and rushed at him, her burning fist pulled back behind her figure. She dodged his charge and flew above him. She pulled her right arm back and struck at his back, only to hit nothing but air. The Armor turned around in the air and kicked Mira in her lower back, making her fly towards the ground. She quickly shook it off and turned around, flying upwards, getting in position above Dryden and retaliating with an overhand right that was dodged once again. The fire started to severely burn her skin, tears of pain forming in her eyes.

"Have you lost your mind?" asked Dryden, utterly confused by the woman's actions. "Are you planning on killing yourself?"

The Demon did not respond with words, but a kick that was swiftly dodged and countered with a left straight to the face. Dryden struck Mirajane once again, this time with his right hand and kicked her right shoulder with his left leg. He was overpowering the woman in every aspect, rendering her efforts useless. Her right hand was already set in blaze, but even then she fought through pain and tried to strike Dryden. He kicked her away, only to have her charge straight at him once again.

"How unfortunate." he muttered, before dashing as well. He pulled his left arm back and struck at Mira's face, who, to his shock, dodged. She ducked right under his arm and pulled her arm back, ready to strike.

 _"If you want to hit me that badly, go for it."_ he thought. _"Once it connects, you'll realise how futile and stupid this idea was."_

A second after this thought, Dryden felt dull and excruciating pain taking over his left side. Roaring loudly from pain and determination, Mirajane delivered a powerful body blow to his ribs. The punch cracked his armor and sent majority of the impact to The Armor's body that was hidden behind it. Dryden buckled over in agony, confused, scared and shocked. Mira pulled her arm back again and struck once again in the exact same fashion, cracking the blue shell even further. Growling from pain, she finally extinguished the flames, her right hand scorched, its blackened skin peeling off.

 _"How?!"_ yelled Dryden in his mind. _"How did she-"_

Realisation hit him harder than any punch. The fire he thought was useless, the fire he thought was just a desperate, last attempt of his opponent, the fire he _forgot_ about was actually the fire meant to slay dragons. Fire of a Fire Dragon Slayer, who was currently several floors above him.

"No one with a sane mind would think of something like that!" he wheezed out.

Mirajane grinned devilishly through the pain in response. "Fairy Tail wizards are not sane."

The success of her strategy filled the woman with a new found strength. She spread her wings and flew straight into Dryden, driving her fist into his cracked spot, making him feel even more pain.

The Armor grit his teeth, fury taking over his mind. "You bitch!" he roared, before kneeling her in the stomach. He brought his arms up and crashed them into Mira's back. He then followed up with a right uppercut to the face, left hook to the liver and right hook across the temple.

Dryden began to mercilessly beat up Mirajane, his fists making contact with majority of her vital points, not giving her time to react. He delivered one final punch to her gut and kicked her in the face, making her fall to the ground. She crashed into it, with Dryden following her, as he landed right on top of her, both of his legs smashing into her chest and stomach, making her vomit blood. The force of this strike was so great it made them both crash through the floor, making Mirajane fall into the underground level of the tower, which served as sewers. Dryden flapped his wings to stay in the air. He watched his opponent, her limp figure falling into the water, as she began to sink, barely hanging onto consciousness.

 _"I guess this is it, then..."_ she thought, as she watched her blood leaving a giant trail in the water. _"I think I've done everything I could. Hopefully someone wipes the floor with this guy...in my place..."_

Her mind went black for a moment, the previously cold water suddenly getting warm. Just when she was about to pass out, her eyes shot wide open.

 _"What the fuck am I thinking?!"_ she scolded herself, anger building inside of her. _"This guy sure as hell ain't getting off that easily. None of them are."_

Mira turned around in the water and glared upwards, her face twisting into a scowl. _"I'm taking you down, even if I have to go down with you!"_

With this resolve in her mind, Mira summoned the last remaining bits of her strength and launched herself towards the surface at incredible speed.

Dryden, who was hovering above the sewers was staring at the water, carefully waiting for the woman to return. Seeing that the last air bubbles disappeared and the water started to settle in, he closed his eyes and turned around. Just when he was about to leave, his ears picked up a weird sound coming from the water. He turned around, only to see Mirajane shooting out of the blue body like a rocket. Without any chance of evading the attack, Dryden's body buckled over, as Mirajane smashed her head right into his cracked left side, effectively breaking the armor even further. Keeping him in place with her head, she pulled her arms back and started to repeatedly punch his abdomen, making the man feel more and more pain. Her right hand started to hurt in an itching, excruciating pain, but even then she kept punching, even if her right strikes were weaker, Fed up with the woman, Dryden raised his left arm and drove his elbow blade right into her back, its tip plunging itself in her body.

Due to her toughness and Dryden's drained strength, the stab was shallow, but it still made the woman gasp and stop her barrage. This allowed Dryden to fly backwards, away from her and regain his breath. Both TakeOver mages stared each other down, both trying to catch as much breath as possible.

Mira smirked, irritating the Commandment. "The hell are you smirking for?" he asked.

"We're finally on even terms." she wheezed out, her eyes barely open from exhaustion, but her smile still alive. "Let's see how good you are without that armor of yours."

His pride hurt, Dryden growled and threw himself at Mira, his right hook blocked by her left arm. She answered with a sharp right jab to his chin, followed by a left, long jab. These attacks had no effect on the man, as he threw a left uppercut, only to feel his fist hitting Mira's right knee. She smacked him with a right hook, which made his head fly to the side. This exposed his cracked left side, which was struck with a right middle-kick. Dryden grit his teeth in pain and wrapped his left arm around the woman's leg, before bringing his elbow down to her stretched knee, only to feel Mira get closer to him, as she bent the knee and headbutted him, freeing herself. She quickly flew back and breathed out.

The Armor followed her, however and threw a punch in her direction, which she blocked with one of her own. They looked at each other for a moment before engaging in yet another exchange of hits, this time much slower than their previous ones. For every punch landed on Dryden's ribs, Mira received a strike in the face in return, their hit count even. Her left eye was beginning to swell up, just like his ribs were growing more purple with each hit. With one final dual exchange they both flew backwards and gasped for air, neither giving up just yet.

Dryden held his right hand before himself and focused his magic in his claws, making them extend in the Demon's direction. Suprised that he can actually modify the shape of his armor, Mira flew right above them and charged at him, nailing him with a nasty right hook. The pain in her burned hand was so great it made her cry out, however it did not break her concentration. Dryden retaliated with a kick to her left side and kept the woman on his leg by straightening his foot behind her back. He turned in the air and pushed his leg downwards, sending the woman flying into the water once again. She flew out of it a second later, panting heavily, her body heavy and her magic on brink of running out.

 _"I won't bring him down like that."_ she thought. _"I have to make a bet, I still have enough magic for one final attack."_

Mira brought her arms behind her back, a dark-purple orb forming in her hands.

"Growing desperate, aren't we?" taunted Dryden, before dashing at the woman. "You seriously think you're going to hurt me with that thing ?I'll crush you before you even have a chance to launch it!"

With that said, he dived at the woman, catching her off guard. He kicked her in her solar plexus, knocking all the remaining wind she had out of her lungs. He then grabbed her by the throat with his left hand and lifted her in the air, slowly crushing her neck. Mira brought up her arms and wrapped her hands on his arm, trying to free herself. She wiggled her legs defenselessly, not strong enough to deliver a solid kick. She gargled and gasped for air, the grip of her hands loosening.

"This is goodbye, Mirajane." said Dryden, his voice merciless. "You can rest now."

Feeling that she was one second away from passing out, Mira decided to go for one final try. She brought up her heavy right arm and stuck her clawed thumb into Dryden's eye. As she expected, this area was not protected by the armor, her thumb easily entering the man's eye. He cried out in pain and let go off her neck, immediately clutching his face with his hands. Seeing that this was her one final chance, Mira brought her hands behind her back and formed the orb once again.

 ** _SOUL..._**

With his one remaining eye, Dryden watched the woman charge straight at him, and in the last attempt to protect himself raised his already wounded wing up, willing to sacrifice it in price for his survival. But the beam never came.

Mira ducked right under his wing and pulled her right hand back. Instead of launching the built up energy in the form of a beam, she kept it in her hand, greatly increasing her strength.

 ** _EXTINCTOR!_**

The Demon's right hand crashed right into Dryden's exposed ribs. She felt them break with her fist, their owner's left side bending over, as he spat out blood, his eye growing with mist. Her shoulder cried out in pain, as she pushed him down, before pushing one last time and setting the explosion off, sending him flying downwards straight into the water, as he crashed into it, a giant explosion of said liquid erupting, as it flew high above its original spot and splashed the floor above, extinguishing a vast portion of the flames in the process. It then dropped back to its place, giant waves forming on its surface.

Mira breathed heavily, her figure finally free of the water, as she watched Dryden's defeated figure sinking towards the bottom, pieces of his armor leaving his body, a bloody trail forming behind him.

The woman closed her eyes in relief and with the last remaining drop of her strength flew up back to the first floor. She landed on her feet and canceled her form, before falling onto her face in exhaustion, her mind going blank. But before it did, she sent one final message to her friends in her mind.

 _"The rest is up to you, guys."_

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy watched as Juvia and Aries escorted the group of slaves. They searched through majority of the levels, the only one unchecked being the highest one. Overall, there were 30 people still held in their cells, most of them on bottom levels. Lucy and Juvia successfully grouped them up, and came up with an escape plan. After heading downstairs, they would take the nearest window. Aries would then create a pad with her wool down on the ground, with Juvia bringing the people down with her water. It was a timeconsuming task, but the most effective one. Lucy decided to stay on the Fourth Floor and search the last floor before leaving the tower.

She climbed the stairs and reached the very top of the floor. She then started to run, briefly looking at all the cells she passed by. Just when she thought it was empty, she reached the last cell. There stood a young man with messy, black hair, his back turned against the bars.

Lucy breathed in relief and ran up to the bars. "Hold on, I'll get you out of here in a moment!"

The boy jumped a little at the sound of her voice, before slightly tilting his head in her direction. He listened as Lucy pulled out her whip and used it to smash the lock, opining the door afterwards.

"Come one, let's get out of here." she said, before grabbing his hand. That was the moment when she realised something was wrong.

His clothes were in much better shape, and he did not look like the other slaves. True, he was skinny, but nowhere near as the rest. The teenager turned around and smiled grimly at Lucy.

"Fairy Tail, huh? How nice of you to save all those people."

"Huh?"

Lucy blinked in confusion. She watched as the boy turned around to fully face her. He was around her age, his messy black hair covering a good part of his face. He had a sad smile glued to his face, as he continued to talk.

"It's a real shame I haven't met someone like you all those years ago." he said sarcastically, a small smirk forming on his face.

Lucy was now frowning. Something was definitely wrong.

"What are you-"

Just before she could finish her sentence, she felt her whole body freeze in one place. Suddenly, she felt like she was looking through someone else's eyes.

 _"What the hell is going on?!"_ she panicked in her thoughts, as she desperately tried to move. She then felt her eyes widen in her mind in realisation. _"He's the one controlling the Chairman!"_

She watched as the boy in front of her reached out to his back pocket and threw a knife, that planted itself in the ground just by her feet.

"Pick up this knife and kill yourself." he commanded with a bored, expressionless voice.

Much to her shock, Lucy witnessed her figure bend over obediently and pick up the weapon, as she desperately cried out in desperation to stop herself, her body not listening at all.

" _Stop! Stop, me! Don't do it!"_ she cried out, as she watched her hands aiming the blade towards her own throat. She then started to bring it closer and closer, Lucy's pleas and attempts of freeing herself becoming more and more desperate.

"I should have been on the front lines, none of this shit would have happened if I had been." sighed the teenager and scratched his head, with Lucy seconds away from killing herself.

Just before the blade could reach her throat, Lucy saw a hand get a hold of her right arm, successfully halting the blade. With the corner of her eye she noticed the familiar red tie and unbuttoned black jacket, combined with messy orange hair. Lucy felt her eyes water, relief and hope replacing her fears in her mind.

"What the hell you think you're doing to my Master?" growled Loke, as he glared daggers at the man in front of him.

Luppi clicked his tongue in irritation and released Lucy from his control. She gasped for air and leg go of the knife, which fell onto the ground with a quiet clank. Her entire body was shaking, but she managed to look at her friend and crack a smile at him.

"Thank you." was all she managed to breathe out.

The man took his eyes off his upcoming opponent and looked at his Master, his scowl replaced with a smile.

"Anything for my Master. Now rest. I'll take care of this." he smiled, before getting in front of her. He then shifted his eyes onto Luppi, his eyes turning into daggers once again. "Don't think you're getting off easy, punk."

Luppi stared at the spirit with bored expression and sighed heavily, before reaching out for another knife.

"What a drag,"

 **End of Chapter 10. To be continued in Chapter 11: Demons Of The Past**

* * *

 **Phew! Writing fight scenes is so exhausting. You write, write and write for hours, you think you've created a great and solid battle sequence, you save it - 1,700 words. I'm a slow worker, but still, this is way too frustrating. Still, I enjoy it very much!**

 **So starting with this chapter, I've decided to add disclaimers to my chapters. I like to reference previous chapters and some of you probably don't remember them that well, so you miss quite cool moments. So from now on, I will list them down in the AN. Right here there's only one, but later on there will be quite a few of them.**

 *** - Jolene tortured Gray by stepping on his wound she inflicted on him in previous chapter. She pierced his right side, missing all of his vitals, but still crippling his mobility.**

 **So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I hope the fights do not feel too "edgy" or repetetive - I've always considered manga superior to anime, and as well know, manga fights do get hardcore, especially for shonen standards. This story is rated M, so I've taken it up a notch.**

 **Yes, I made Gray and Gajeel lose. Not because I wanted them to so much I couldn't help it, I just felt that I don't want my story to take the same course as canon FT - the only fight lost against the baddies was Elfman and Eva vs Rusty. Seriously? One loss in three major Dark Guild arcs? No, I am not counting Future Rogue vs Natsu - this fight never happened in my book.**

 **I wanted to make the loss as realistic as possible, at the same time leaving the door for possible rematch. You never know!**

 **Writing Mira was probably the hardest thing ever. Not only do we not have alot of content of her old, original self, but her fights are also quite rare. Sorry all triggered Mira fans!**

 **With that said, I'm off. I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, leave your opinions in reviews and PM's. See ya!**


	11. Demons Of The Past

**Hey. So, after couple weeks, I finally remembered this is a Natsu x Erza story. Therefore, this chapter finally contains scenes some of you must've been dying to see. Personally, I feel like they are a little forced, but you be the judge.  
**

 **This chapter is slightly less focused on action than previous ones, as this one is mostly around build up to the grand finale, which will be 3 chapters long.**

 **Also, last week we've hit 30,000 hits. You have no idea how happy I am we've come this far. Hopefully we reach the magical 100.000 margin pretty soon. I'll do my best to do it!**

 **Well then, I hope you enjoy your read!**

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Christina**

Wendy stared out the window at the tower, her mind unsettled and her finger tapping the sill in a weird rhythm. She'd lie if she said she wasn't worried, in fact, she wanted to go out there and support her friends. But deep down she knew she'd be a nuisance, and that made her sadness even heavier.

"Trouble calming down?"

Wendy jumped in her seat and turned around, only to find Hibiki right beside her. She slowly nodded in response and got back to looking at the window.

Hibiki looked at the tower as well and smiled a little. "I know the situation may look bad, but there's nothing to worry about. I don't think Fairy Tail could combine a greater team than those seven. Well, eight. Together, they will surely..."

The man stopped talking and looked at the girl, only to realise Wendy wasn't listening to him, and instead squinted her eyes, her face frowning. He also looked out the window and the sight froze his blood.

There was bloodied Gray, with unconscious Gajeel hanged over his shoulders, as he dragged the Dragon Slayer from behind the high, white stairs that led to the tower. Gray's step was slow and unsteady, making it look like he was about to fall at any minute.

Wendy quickly shot from her spot and ran up to the exit.

"Ren, Eve! Open the door!" yelled Hibiki, as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, ready to assist his friends.

As soon as the door lowered, Wendy shot out of the ship, with Hibiki following her just few steps behind. They ran up to Gray, who finally fell onto his knees and immediately grabbed both men, preventing them from falling onto their wounds. The rest of the Trimens caught up with the pair shortly after and lifted Gajeel off the ground, carefully carrying him over to the ship. Gray was supported by Wendy, who struggled to keep him on his feet, but bravely led him onboard. When they finally got to the ship, the Trimens laid Gajeel down onto his back, and Gray fell onto his bottom, his back up against the wall, as he made a sound that resembled a mix between a sigh of relief and a growl.

"Take care of him first." he told Wendy, who nodded and walked up to Gajeel.

She grabbed his vest and forcefully opened it, revealing his naked torso. The sight horrified her.

Gajeel's right shoulder was now decorated with a gasping hole, as wide as Wendy's fist. His torso was covered in multiple cuts, bruises and marks, his right leg pierced, with a big, heavily swollen stab wound placed right in the middle of his thigh. The young Dragon Slayer then looked at Gray. He was also covered in cuts and bruises, but the most noticeable injury on his body was his pierced right side, that was already stained crimson from constant blood loss.

Hibiki also stared at the state both men were in, his eyes widening. "To drive you this far in this short amount of time..." he muttered, terrified. "Unbelievable."

"Don't piss your pants yet." grunted Gray. "I still have to go get Mira. I saw her on my way here, but couldn't grab her. She's in no better shape than us."

Hibiki didn't say anything, his eyes widening even further. Three of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards one step away from grave in a matter of 20 minutes? The thought was simply unimaginable to him.

Gray sighed once again and looked at Wendy. Catching the girl's eyes, which were still glued to his wounds, Gray slowly shook his head. "Don't worry about me, focus on tincan. He'll die if you don't help him."

Wendy bit her lip in frustration and complied, immediately hovering her hands over Gajeel's shoulder.

"Eve-san." she called out with a scared, but determined voice. "Please apply pressure onto Gajeel-san's right leg. Wrap something around the wound and squeeze tight."

The boy nodded and stood up in search of something clean to stop the bleeding with. In the meantime, Wendy focused on closing Gajeel's shoulder wound, sweat already dripping from her forehead.

Glad that Gajeel was finally in safe hands, Gray started to stand up, using the wall as support.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Ren with an annoyed voice, as he ran up to the man and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're not going anywhere."

"The woman we fought is still out there." retorted Gray and tried to get free from Ren's grip. "Mira is just one floor below her. If she finds her, she'll kill her. I have to go back there and finish it."

"You can barely stand, how do you expect to go back there and fight? You'll get killed." said Ren, successfully knocking Gray back onto his ass. The Maker grit his teeth in anger and tried to get up once again.

"You don't understand!" he yelled. "I have to finish this! I have to..."

"Gray-kun."

Ichiya's serious voice suprised the ice mage. He looked at the short man, whose face did not resemble its usual goofy expression. Before him stood the true ace of Blue Pegasus.

"We understand how you feel, but you are in no condition to fight. We will retrieve Mirajane-san on our own, while you stay here and recover from your injuries. We cannot allow you to throw your life in vain." said Ichiya.

The man's words seemed to have hit their mark, with Gray slowly loosening his body up, which allowed Ren to successfully push him back onto the floor.

"Ren, Eve! With me! We shall retrieve Mirajane-san immediately!" called out Ichiya.

"Yes, Boss!" yelled the men. Eve tightly tied a cloth around Gajeel's leg and ran out after his friends.

Gray looked at the trio with a mixed face, before grimacing from pain. With the corner of his eye he noticed Hibiki, who was carrying an orange box. He kneeled beside the Maker and opened it, revealing it to be a giant first aid kit.

"What are you doing?" asked confused Gray, as he watched Hibiki pull out syringes and bandages.

"Patching you up." smiled Hibiki and filled the syringe in with some sort of a liquid. He then used his magic and opened a tab about medicine. "I can't let Wendy-chan do all the work on her own. I know bits and pieces, I've been putting my magic into good use, you know."

Gray was skeptical, was after feeling yet another wave of pain from his wound, complied. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Hibiki smiled in response and injected the fluid into Gray's stomach. "In 10 minutes you'll be as good as new."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

Jellal stood by the stairs to the last floor, his eyes closed. His back was pressed against the wall, with his hands crossed on his chest. Suddenly, he smirked and opened his eyes, only to lock them onto a familiar figure of Arthur walking up to him.

"Done already?" he asked the elder.

The man did not respond. Instead, he walked up to Jellal and stood right before him, his old eyes glued to his. "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice calm but with a small dose of hostility.

Jellal raised his eyebrows and looked around the floor. "Guarding the Master. What else could I be doing?" he asked, slightly confused.

"You were supposed to be downstairs, not here." replied Arthur, his eyes continuing to pierce Jellal.

The man smirked and stood straight, dropping his arms to his sides. "All these years, and you still don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anyone."

"Not even your beloved Master?"

"Even Master Silva can turn out to be an obstacle in the way to our goal."

"So you'd kill him if he turned out to be one?"

"If he ever strayed off his path and threatened us, I would personally see into his death."

Jellal grinned in amusement. "As expected of a former assassin."

Arthur did not share his smile. Jellal picked it up as a sign and snorted lightly. "I assume this rule applies to all Commandments as well?"

"Indeed."

The Heavens walked up to the elder as close as he could and looked into his eyes, his smile fading away.

"Do you really think I'd betray our guild?" he asked quietly. "What have I done to make you distrust me this much?"

"Your background does not match your current occupation." replied the elder. "You've also never cared much about our preparations, nor did you put any effort into getting us closer. You acted on your own accord way too many times."

"I was doing my job in the Council as best as I could. It was my idea to push all the suspicion built up by the Council onto me and start anew on a bigger scale, was it not? Besides, my background is none of your concern, as far as I can tell. We swore not to use it against each other upon joining the guild, have we not?"

"Indeed, we have. That doesn't stop me from trying to prevent a disaster, though. As for your input, we had our suspicions that you plotted behind our back, for your own, personal benefit. You're the least trusted Commandment for a reason, Jellal."

Jellal inhaled through his nose and turned away from Arthur. He walked up the stairs, and stopped at the fifth step. He then turned around to face the elder once again.

"In my darkest hour, Zeref was the one who called out to me. He's the one who showed me the truth of this world, he is the one, who showed me that this world is wrong. I am who I am today because of him. Do you really think I'd try to prevent his resurrection?"

Jellal's short monologue had absolutely no effect on Arthur. He simply stared at him, his face unchanging. After a short while, his eyes squinted and he walked up the stairs to meet Jellal on eye-level.

"Your acting skills are quite possibly the weakest I've ever seen." he whispered.

With that said, Arthur left shocked Jellal alone and walked down the corridor, seemingly heading downstairs.

"Very well. I will leave guarding Master in your hands, Jellal. I doubt anyone will make it here, but if they do, fulfill your duty as one of Seven Commandments. Keep my warning in your mind, let it fuel you."

After a minute, Arthur was gone. Jellal stood in his spot, his teeth slightly clenching themselves. "Way to throw a wrench into my plans, old man." he breathed out, before walking down the stairs and resuming his original position. He then shifted his head towards the ceiling and smiled sarcastically. "I guess all I can do is root for my old friend and her bunch of simpletons."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy couldn't help but continue to watch what was happening before her in complete awe.

She watched Luppi, who continued to toy with Loke. The fight has been taken to the ground after the spirit was knocked off to the ground from Luppi's cell. After realising that his magic does not work on Celestial beings, the Commandment decided to take matters into his own hands, albeit much to his annoyance. He was currently effortlessly dodging Loke's punches and kicks, who was growing more and more desperate.

The spirit once again struck at the teenager, only to see him slip his head to the side and trip him, causing him to drop onto the ground.

"How is this possible?" asked Lucy, shocked.

Luppi looked at her through his messy hair before replying. Despite his moves, he did not look good. His face was green, his eyes baggy and sweat was running down his face, as if he was holding something in. "Holder mages are known to be weak without their magic. Even the most invincible magics like mine have their weaknesses. One of them is now lying by my feet." he explained in a weak voice, before nodding to Loke, who glared back at the man and stood up from the ground. "That's why I was forced to train against my will by Jolene. I guess I'll have to thank her for all those hours of torture."

Luppi then turned around to face Lucy with his entire figure and smirked. "Only a moron would not create countermeasures for their weaknesses. It's a shame you're one of them."

All of a sudden, he dashed at the blonde, his hand reaching out towards his back, where his knife was located. He pulled it out and slashed at the girl, only to feel his eyes widen in suprise when his strike was dodged, with Lucy jumping out of the way. She quickly pulled out her whip and waved it in his direction, forcing him to jump back. He landed several meters away in a safe place and sighed heavily.

"Today is just not my day." he whined. "Why didn't you just stab yourself like a good girl? I really don't feel well, yet here you are, forcing me to do stuff I don't want to do. I know your daddy didn't spend too much time with you, but come the hell on princess, know some manners."

Lucy frowned upon hearing his words, unsure whether she heard him right. "What did you say?" she asked, her voice unnaturally sharp.

"Oh, don't be so suprised." Luppi sighed and waved his hand. "All of you always have the exact same reaction. It really gets boring after a while, at least come up with something original, you are a writer after all."

Lucy was now unsettled. Both of these things were personal information she held close to herself, even her team knew barely anything about her hobby.

"Lucy, don't listen to him." threw in Loke and stood before her, blocking her from Luppi's view. "He's trying to mess with your mind."

"I'm afraid I already did that. You know, the whole knife thing and stuff." mocked Luppi and raised his hands to his throat, stabbing himself with an imaginary knife. This only made Loke even angrier.

"Is it this fun to manipulate people? To hurt them?" he asked, his hands glowing with dangerous light.

"That's the only entertainment I have in this boring life of mine, do go easy on me." smirked weakly Luppi.

Loke dashed at the teenager and threw a quick and swift right straight, only to have it dodged by Luppi. He quickly sidestepped to his left and pulled his knife out, slashing at Loke, successfully catching him on the cheek. The spirit clicked his teeth in annoyance and continued his assault of strikes, all of them dodged by his opponent. Despite the swiftness of his moves, they were relatively sloppier than few minutes ago, as Luppi's face was starting to take a color of solid green.

Finally, after what felt like eternity, Loke connected with a right hook, effectively knocking Luppi off his feet. He slid on the ground, with the spirit chasing him, ready to finish him off. Luppi quickly rolled one the ground to avoid Loke's stomp and got up, throwing a knife at the spirit to buy enough time to get away. Loke simply deflected the weapon away and chased the Commandment, before delivering a powerful punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of his body. He then followed with another body blow, which sent the teenager flying. He landed on his back and slid on the ground for few feet, before coming to a stop.

"You have no idea how good that felt." smirked Loke, before extinguishing his fists. He then turned around to face Lucy with a smile on his face, who did not respond to it. Instead, she kept staring behind Loke, a frown glued to her face.

The spirit turned back around and felt his eyes widen a little, as he watched Luppi get off the ground and dust his clothes off. Suprised with his durability, Loke once again took a fighting stance, ready to attack.

"I knew fighting in this state was a bad idea." sighed The Mind and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I really don't learn."

He then shifted his gaze onto his opponents, his lids squinting a little. He did not anticipate to face a Celestial Spirit in the slightest, let alone one with this much power. If it only had been just the girl, he'd have been on his way to the next target. Taking control over her was pointless as of now: even if he forced her to close the gate, the spirit would remain. Retreating was starting to be the only plausible option for now.

Lucy then felt warm sensation on her right hip, much to her suprise. She looked at it, only to see light emitting from her key holster, which signalised Aries' return.  
Which also meant...

"Lucy!"

Suddenly, someone called out to the blonde, startling the trio. They all looked in the direction of the voice, where they found Juvia making her way towards them. Instead of joy, Lucy felt fear grasping her chest, as she recalled her recent memories of being controlled by the Commandment. Not willing to let her friend experience it, she reached out her hand in Juvia's direction and yelled. "Stop! Don't come near us! Get away from here!"

Juvia stopped in her tracks and looked at Lucy, her face covered with confusion. She then took a look at Luppi, gears turning in her head.

Loke also looked at the male, his eyes widening in realisation, as he watched his teeth baring themselves in a sinister grin. Without thinking, he dashed at the Commandment, his fists covered in light once again. He pulled his arm back and threw a desperate punch at his opponent, eager to finish him off. However, he failed.

Before his hand could reach Luppi's face, he felt a strong pressure of water blasting him away and painfully crashing him into a nearby wall.

Lucy watched her friend being taken by the current in shock, as she quickly shifted her eyes to Juvia. She was pointing her hands at the spirit and repeatedly struck him with quick, powerful blasts of water, which continued to nail him into the wall, despite his put up guard.

"Juvia, stop!" called desperately Lucy.

"I'm afraid she doesn't hear you." said Luppi with a weak smirk, his face paling even more. "We can change that, though." he added and snapped his fingers, which caused Juvia to stop her assault. She then shifted her gaze onto Lucy and stared at her with blank expression.

Lucy met Juvia's eyes with hers, pain grasping her heart. Her previously warm, kind eyes were now empty, blank, almost lifeless. Feeling tears forming in her eyes, Lucy grit her teeth in anger and looked at Luppi. "Why are you doing this?" she asked him, her voice pretty calm despite her pent up anger.

Luppi stared into her brown eyes for a moment, as if wondering how to answer this question. After a short while, he sighed heavily and replied. "Do you know that story about a kid being born with an unusual, distressing ability, who was then dragged through hell because of it? It's something like that."

He stopped talking and slowly started to walk in a circle, his step heavy and tired. After walking for few meters, he resumed his speech. "When people meet something they don't understand, they start to fear it. They don't want anything to do with it, they want to get rid of it as soon as possible."

Lucy listened to his words, trying to figure out the logic behind them. With the corner of her eye, she noticed Juvia starting to walk in the same fashion as Luppi, both of them heading towards each other.

"You see, I was quite a sweet kid back in the day, believe it or not. But people don't give a shit about your feelings, as long as you seem dangerous to them. Fear is what keeps the weak alive. It makes them do stupid, cruel things, and as long as it guarantees their survival, they don't give a shit about consequences. So, when you have a kid with unnatural, creepy abilities..."

"...and a bunch of brainless farmers, who have always solved their problems with violence, ignorance and cruelty, rather than plain logic..." picked up Juvia, startling Lucy. Her kind, warm voice was now matching that of Luppi's cold, emotionless one, the intonation of the words and her tone the same as his. Seeing and hearing her friend like this filled Lucy with pure terror.

"..and you have those farmers use, take advantage of, and push that special kid far enough, for many months..." continued Luppi.

"...inequitably, may I add..." threw in Juvia.

"...and with absolutely no room for negotiation, compassion or mercy..." added Luppi.

"...what do you think happens?" finished Juvia. She was now standing right before Luppi, both of them facing each other.

They then turned around to face Lucy, both of them standing right beside each other. Their faces twisted with sadistic, terrifying smiles, that filled every fiber of Lucy's being with fear.

"Justice." they hissed in sync.

Lucy took a step back, her breath stuck in her throat. The way he made Juvia copy every one of his moves, the way he made her talk in, the way he made her look like him - it all filled her with pure fear. Never in her years has she seen a magic this terrifying and sinister.

Luppi and Juvia watched the blonde struggle with amusement.

"People are truly magnificent creatures. They can do a certain activity for years and not notice they're doing it, only to call themselves the victims years later, when the situation suddenly slips out of their control. People are afraid of monsters, but what they fail to realise, is that in some cases they are their creators. Source: me." said Luppi and Juvia simultaneously, both of them making the exact same hand gestures to help them express themselves. "All it takes is one worse day and one poorly timed push, and bam." added Luppi on his own, clapping his hands loudly. "You're a monster."

Both Luppi and Juvia looked at Lucy once again, before resuming their speech.

"I've finally realised I'll never have a place in this world, not with this magic. So I had them kill each other, one by one, their screams giving me the feeling of satisfaction I desperately needed. That's when Master Silva found me. He shared his version of a perfect world with me, he gave me me everything I had ever asked for - hope." monologued Luppi through Juvia's mouth.

Despite the overwhelming feeling of fear, Lucy stood tall and gulped loudly to clear her throat. "So in order to create this perfect world, you make people go through the same pain on purpose?" she asked with a shaky, but loud voice.

"Not exactly." replied Luppi, this time with his own mouth. "We give people a fair choice. They can either die, or help us build it. We're not forcing anyone. By building, they can become a part of it, they can become a stone, on which our world will be placed, making themselves be remembered as those, who made it possible. By refusing to do so, they simply speed up their deaths, as vermin has no place in our paradise."

These words hit Lucy harder than anything she'd encountered in her life. Her previous feeling of fear was now giving in to pure, unfamiliar anger.

"Do you have any idea what these people have been through?" she hissed through her teeth, her grip on her whip tightening. "Do you hold absolutely no regard to human life?! How can you consider people as not worthy of living?!"

"Of course I do." replied casually Luppi, answering her first question and ignoring the others. "I was there, I've seen it happen."

Lucy was now shaking from anger. She closed her eyes, the horrifying sights she witnessed during the past week resurfacing with full strength. She then opened them and glared daggers at the Commandment, slightly unsettling him.

"Then I will do everything I can to stop you, and save those people." said Lucy.

"Oh? Can you bring yourself to fight your dear friend?" asked sarcastically Luppi.

"I won't have to." she replied shortly, suprising the teenager. "Just making her walk has weakened you to the point where you can barely stand. I assume the more people you control, the bigger the strain on your body is. Controlling the Chairman for so long must've been very tiring."

Luppi's eyes widened, as he whistled quietly, seemingly impressed and clapped his hands. "Bravo. I knew you were smart." he said with a smirk. "You're right, I can't control her for much longer. But I have a little trick up my sleeve, that you might find really cool."

Suddenly, Juvia fell to her knees, her head hanging limply in front of her chest. Luppi then breathed out in relief and cracked his neck, before facing Lucy one again.

"A mind is a wonderful thing, you see. All those memories, feelings, connections, paths - it's truly a marvelous and complex thing. It's seemingly unbreakable, unreadable, impossible to fully understand, and yet, it takes just one cut string to cause a disaster."

Juvia stirred in her spot, and started to slowly stand up.

"Funnily enough, memories centered around a specific person are particularly strong. They can take up so much space in someones mind, it's almost sickening. Like here." Luppi pointed at Juvia with his hands. "All those memories, all this strength, and yet, it took just one tiny little alteration to bring this giant mountain down, and throw her into a pit of chaos."

Juvia was now on her feet. She slowly raised her head to look at Lucy, her eyes teary and full of hatred.

"What have you done?" asked unsettled Lucy.

"I really love people as simple as her." sighed Luppi, before patting Juvia on her head, which earned him no reaction from the woman at all, as she continued to glare at Lucy. Luppi creepily played with her blue hair, feeling them in-between his fingers. "I don't even have to control her. All I had to do to make her fulfill my wish and want to kill you, was add a small, fake, but quite graphic memory of you killing someone named Gray Fullbuster into her tiny little mind."

Suddenly, Juvia threw herself at Lucy, a terrifying scream coming out of her mouth. Lucy quickly stepped away from the woman, who continued to chase her in a mad run, her hands turned into water whips.

"Juvia, please, come to your senses!" cried Lucy, before being forced to duck under a stream of water sent in her direction. She then felt Juvia's fist make contact with her stomach, which sent her flying backwards.

"I really am a genius." sighed quietly Luppi, as he watched Juvia mercilessly attack Lucy, who continued to call out to her friend in vain.

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

Erza, Natsu and Laxus continued to make their way through the floor, which this time was a labyrinth of corridors and rooms, making it tricky to leave. Much to the Dragon Slayers' disappointment, Erza forbid them from forcing their way through, in fear of possible traps and hidden enemies.

"I'm getting sick of this place." muttered Laxus.

"You and me both." agreed Natsu.

"Stop whining." scolded them Erza, who was running in the front.

The trio then took yet another turn and found themselves in front of a much wider corridor than before. It was at least 7 meters wide, with the ceiling being hanged much, much higher then previously, which did not fit the floor's structure at all. Sensing trouble, Erza tensed up her senses, ready to react in time to any possible ambush.

They kept running for a while, before Laxus spoke up. "You think they're done down there? The tower's stopped shaking."

"It's been a while since we split up. I wouldn't be suprised if they were all on their way up here by now." replied Erza.

Laxus looked at the knight. She was worried, that was not a secret, but he could tell that her thoughts were focused on the floor directly beneath them.

"They'll manage." he assured her quietly, earning him a suprised look from the redhead. "We need you here, not somewhere else. They're strong, you know they are. They're probably already on the ship, with all those people."

Erza blinked, her face still suprised. Never in her life would she expect Laxus to express worry about her, even if only a little. This made her ease up a little, which allowed her to muster a small smile.

"You're right."

They continued to run for next few minutes in silence. Laxus and Natsu caught up to her, as they were now running right next to her, with Natsu in the middle. Finally, they noticed a familiar, huge, open door that signalised the end of their current location.

"Two stories to go. Since we haven't met them for this long, it must mean they're all-"

Erza's warning was cut off, as someone pounced onto her and pushed her aside with quite alot of strength. Suprised and confused, she felt herself drop onto the floor, with someone landing on top of her. She quickly turned her head around to notice a familiar white scarf right in her face, with Natsu, who covered her body with his own lying on top of her, his head turned towards the staircase.

"Natsu, what are you-" she wanted to ask, before noticing Laxus, who was standing few feet away from them, clad in his lightning cloak. She then looked at the floor, where dozens of giant knives were impaled into the floor where she stood just a moment ago, along with another dozen scattered on the ground, most likely deflected by Laxus. The man was staring at the staircase as well, his face mimicking Natsu's scowl almost perfectly.

Erza also shifted her eyes towards the shadows, where a figure started to appear. It was the elderly man from the first floor. He was heading towards the trio, his hands behind his back, his step gracious and light.

"As expected of Dragon Slayers." said Arthur. He stopped few yards away from the group, and watched Laxus and Natsu with impressed eyes. "As soon as you've heard my knives cut through the air, your bodies reacted on their own. How truly marvelous."

Natsu stood up, freeing Erza from his weight. The girl stared at him, her eyes wide. _"If it hadn't been for him, I'd be dead. I heard and felt absolutely nothing."_

Erza gulped and also stood up, locking her eyes on the Commandment before her, uneasiness filling her chest. The man in front of her was powerful, she knew that from his magic power alone. However, there was something that screamed danger, something she couldn't quite grasp yet.

"Since you're here, I assume we're getting close, aren't we?" asked Natsu, his attitude from first floor returning, almost as if his personality turned inside out.

"Indeed you are." confirmed Arthur, his voice and face suprisingly kind. "I am here to safely escort you to Master Silva's chambers, alone, I'm afraid. Your cooperation is most welcome."

The elder then looked at Laxus and Erza, his gentle expression disappearing. "As for you two, I'm afraid we have no use of you. You must be eliminated."

The trio tensed up and put up their guards.

"If he's planning on taking the three of us alone, he must be either overconfident or he knows what he's doing." muttered Laxus.

"Overconfident is the last word I'd use to describe him." denied Natsu. "He's the real deal, alright."

Erza breathed through her nose, trying to relax. All of her senses screamed in danger at the sight of the man before her, much to her confusion and annoyance.

"What exactly is your goal?" she asked. She tried to buy as much time as possible in order to come up with a strategy on how to beat this man.

Arthur looked at Erza. "I'm afraid that doesn't concern you, my dear."

"It concerns me." threw in Natsu, suprising both the elder and Erza. "Since you've been trying to hunt me down for so long now, I might as well learn why you need me alive so badly. I doubt it's because I destroyed your inner guilds."

Arthur continued to look at Natsu in slight shock, which made Erza smirk to herself. Despite his anger, he was able to take her hint and momentarily put it aside to look at the bigger picture and pull the elder by his tongue - she'd be lying if she said she wasn't impressed, maybe even proud.

Arthur regained his composure and locked his eyes with Natsu. "Very well. You do have that right." he said. "7th Commandment: The Mind, will use the controlled Chairman to hold a vote. Upon succeeding, Etherion will be launched at this tower, which will fuel it with magic power necessary to hold the ceremony. Once we achieve that, you will be sacrificed. To successfully restore a life with R-System, a wizard strong enough to be considered a Wizard Saint is required. Despite bringing quite alot of candidates with yourself, you are still the perfect host. Your body will be given to the tower, which will disintegrate, and then reconstruct it, all in order to successfully resurrect the rightful ruler of this world - Zeref."

Erza's eyes narrowed sorrowfully. All her fears have just been confirmed. She looked at Natsu, who, suprisingly, was completely unfazed by what he'd just heard.

"I see." he said, before grinning like a madman, which earned him a raised eyebrow from Arthur. "You've told me more than you wanted to."

Suddenly, Natsu stomped the floor with his flaming feet, the ground beneath him breaking. He shifted his eyes at Arthur, whose calm demeanour started to change, as the man was clearly distressed after taking Natsu's not so gentle hint.

"I wouldn't piss him off any more if I were you." threw in Laxus.

Natsu looked at him. "Does it even make a difference? The very fact he shared his plans with us means he is not intending on letting us live."

"Even so, by pissing him off, you're robbing us of precious time we could have used on strategizing. You saw what he's capable of, none of us can deal with his magic. We need a plan."

Natsu shifted his eyes back to Arthur, who was still in his spot. After a short while, the man took his arms from behind his back and put them on both of his sides.

"I'm afraid your time has just ran out, Dragon Slayer." said the man, before taking a step towards the trio.

Erza immediately summoned a sword and got in fighting stance, both of her comrades doing the same.

"Natsu, Laxus, stick toge-"

Erza's words were brutally cut off, as she froze in place, along with her companions and everything surrounding them. Her face was stuck in a weird grimace, her mouth wide open. The Dragon Slayers were stuck in fighting poses, their guards put up in their own, individual styles. The only one to maintain his movement was Arthur, who graciously paced towards the trio. He reached out to his inner pocket and pulled out a knife. He then slightly turned to his left and walked up to Erza. He stopped right in front of her and locked his gaze with her frozen, brown eyes, which were wide open. They expressed determination, confusion, but most importantly - a small drop of fear. The man was used to this sight, having seen it hundreds of times by now. Still, it never failed to amuse him, even if just a little.

"All these years, and I still can't get rid of this unpleasant feeling every time I meet a female on the field of battle." sighed the elder. He then put up his knife and pressed it against the knight's throat. "I'm sorry it's come to this, my dear. I wish I could avoid it." he added grimly.

Just when he was about to slice Erza's skin, he felt numb pain taking over the right side of his face. Shocked, he quickly shifted his left eye to see who was the one who attacked him, only to see a yellow lightning crackling on his face.

Laxus flexed his shoulder and pushed, finishing his powerful blow to Arthur's right cheekbone. The man crashed into the ground and bounced off of it, his grip on the knife loosening. Laxus then quickly followed up by kicking him in the ribs while he was still on the ground, which sent him flying into a nearby wall, breaking it in the process.

"-ther!" finished Erza.

The woman blinked in confusion, with Natsu parroting her right beside her. She then looked to her left, where she saw Laxus glaring at something, his left fist bloodied and his lightning crackling dangerously. She then looked to her right, only to feel her eyes widen at the sight of Arthur slowly getting out from beneath the rubble.

"What?" was all she managed to muster. "What just happened?"

Arthur clutched his aching cheek and looked at Laxus, his eyes as shocked as Erza's. "Impossible...How did you manage to free yourself from within my time?!"

"No idea what you're talking about, old man." retorted Laxus, before cracking his knuckles.

The man breathed out to regain his composure and stood up, his face returning to its previous calm state.

 _"I must have gotten distracted, thus slightly losing control. This time, I will not be careless."_

The trio was once again frozen in their spots. Arthur pulled out yet another weapon and dashed at Laxus's frozen figure with speed suprising for a man of his age. He pulled his arm back and thrust at the man's face, only to see him dodge the strike at the last possible second by slipping his head to the side.

"What?!" gasped Arthur, before being struck by a right hook, which sent him flying once again, this time crashing him into the opposite wall.

Erza and Natsu were once again free, their confusion increasing even more.

"What the hell is going on?!" asked irritated Natsu, directing the question to Laxus. Much to his suprise, the man was panting heavily, as if something incredibly tiring happened to him in the span of last 20 seconds.

"Listen to me." he whispered in-between his breaths so low only Natsu could pick up his words. "And make sure you get every single word."

Arthur got back up once again. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and observed the bloody stain left on it by his bleeding lip. He then shifted his eyes back onto Laxus, whose mouth was moving just barely, without a doubt relaying a message to his friends.

"There can be only one explanation for this miracle." whispered the Commandment to himself.

He watched as Natsu nodded to Laxus and walked up to Erza, standing very close to her, which seemingly suprised the knight. Anticipating their move, he walked out of his pile of rubble and blocked the staircase with his body, his eyes slowly shifting between each one of his enemies.

"Ready?" whispered Laxus.

"Ready."

It was so fast, that despite his skills, Arthur couldn't help but simply watch. Laxus quickly raised his arm up towards the ceiling and shot a fast, powerful lightning into the surface above him, breaking it in the process, leaving a hole big enough to fit a person or two. In the meantime, Natsu quickly put his hands behind Erza's knees and shoulders and picked her up bridal style, much to her shock. Before the lightning broke through the ceiling, he had already lit his feet on fire and turned them into thrusters, which he used to launch himself towards the hole. Just when Arthur could finally react, the pair was already on the upper floor.

"How uncivilised." sighed Arthur. He then looked at the hole and bent his knees, ready to follow the pair, only to see the hole being welded up, with Natsu melting the floor in order to seal it.

Seeing that it was fruitless, Arthur exhaled through his nose, an unfamiliar feeling of anger building up inside of him.

"Looks like it's just the two of us left, old man." smirked Laxus.

Arthur's eyes bitter taste of failure angered him very much, however chasing after them would only end badly, especially with his current opponent's unique condition. Figuring out that he was going to spend a while with the youngster, Arthur calmed down and decided prepared for battle.

"I presume it's safe to assume your magic had been granted to you by implanting a lacrima inside your body, correct?" he asked, eager to confirm his suspicions.

"Even if it was, what of it?" answered Laxus, slightly suprised the man noticed it.

Arthur sighed. "That would explain this rare and very unthinkable meeting of ours. How utterly bizarre."

Laxus frowned, not getting the hang of the man's words.

"In the entire world, you're quite possibly one of the few people capable of fighting off my ability. How unfortunate...is what I'd have said, if I hadn't been this intrigued and curious."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." said Laxus, slightly irritated with the man's behavior.

Arthur spread his arms and straightened his back. "Do forgive me, for I've yet to properly introduce myself." he said, before bowing. " **2nd Commandment: The** **Time** , at your service."

Laxus' eyes widened in suprise. "Time?"

"Yes." replied shortly Arthur, before straightening back up. "I have an ability, which grants me almost perfect control over time. The only thing I am weak against, are magical tools and lacrimas, such as the one residing in your body." he continued, pointing at Laxus' chest with his finger. "I believe it to be the reason behind your ability to move within my time."

The Dragon Slayer looked at his chest and touched it with his hand. He then squeezed his shirt tight and shifted his eyes back to his opponent. "I guess I should be thankful I'm the one you ran into, not the others."

"That, you indeed should." said Arthur. He then extended his arm towards the blonde and pointed at him with his palm. "I have told you my name, however, I have yet to hear yours."

Laxus clenched his fist, lightning crackling around it. "Laxus Dreyar."

The elder was slightly shocked. "Makarov Dreyar's grandson?"

This question annoyed the youngster more than it was supposed to. If there was one thing he disliked more than anything else, it was disregarding his existence as an individual person, instead describing him just as his grandfather's grandson.

Arthur made a fist and retracted his arm. He then pulled out a pair of white gloves and slid them onto his hands. "I've always wanted to properly test my abilities in battle. I couldn't have asked for a better opponent to help me out with this selfish wish. I hope you do not disappoint me, Laxus Dreyar."

The Dragon Slayer bent his knees and got into a fighting position, his cloak once again covering his entire figure.

"I really don't get you people."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

Natsu got through the hole as fast as he could and landed on his feet. He then turned around, puffed his cheeks out and treated the floor with his fire, melting it down. Once the hole was closed, he stopped and sighed, his feeling of being chased subduing to relief.

"Natsu?"

The Dragon Slayer blinked and looked in the direction of the voice. The sight reminded him and his arms were still wrapped around Erza, keeping her close to his torso. Her face expressed irritation mixed with embarrassment, with slight shade of red painting her cheeks.

"You can put me down now." she said, making it sound more like a command, rather than permission.

"Oh. Right, sorry." mumbled Natsu and put the knight down, his face feeling unnaturally hot. "There was no time to explain it to you, so I just went through without your permission. Sorry." he tried to explain, his voice dry and slightly embarrassed.

"Don't be, I think your decision was right. Even if a little bold."

Natsu cleared his throat and looked around. They were currently in a lobby, very different than the ones they met on their way here. This floor was much more human looking than the ones beneath him. It was clearly designed to be used as living space, with several chambers spread all over the lobby, some of them with open doors. Not sensing anyone in here, the Dragon Slayer then focused on the exit, which most likely led to the rest of the level.

"We should get going." he said to Erza. The woman nodded and they both started to run, this time much slower than previously. Their encounter with Arthur sharpened their senses and made them anxious of any other possible ambushes. Since this floor had no windows, at least not outside of the rooms, the only source of light were half burnt torches, their amount decreasing the further they've gone.

After couple more minutes, they reached an area so dark Natsu had to lit his hand up and use it as a torch. Suddenly, Erza was halted by Natsu's extended arm, as he stopped in his tracks, his nose picking up a new scent. He extended his arm to light the nearby torches up, lighting the floor up in the process. They were right in front of a staircase, which led to the top floor of the tower. Right beside the first step stood a figure, their face covered with a hood. The figure raised their head and smirked under the cloth, their hands beginning to slowly clap mockingly.

"Well, well, well. I did not expect you to pass through Arthur. Color me impressed." the figure said with a male voice.

Erza summoned a sword and glued her eyes to the man. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My dear Erza, you wound me." replied the man with a faked pain in his voice. "It took you only 7 years to forget me. Then again, you've always found it easy to hurt others."

Erza was now getting uneasy. "Who are you?!" she demanded, as she lost her composure.

The man slowly raised his hand and slid his hood off, exposing his azure hair and the tattoo on his right eye.

"Hello, Erza." smiled Jellal. "It's been a while."

Erza's eyes widened in pure shock, her sword dragging her arms down to the ground, until its tip made contact with the ground with a quiet clank. "Jellal...You're alive."

Jellal smirked and planted his back against the wall, his hands crossing themselves over his chest.

"Yes, I am. I bet you didn't expect to ever see me again?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "I heard rumors about you joining the Council, but could never confirm them. Master Makarov shrugged off all of my questions."

"What a protective parent he is." mocked Jellal.

Erza ignored this remark. "Since you're here, I assume you're a part of Seven Commandments?"

"As observant as ever." Jellal continued to mock her.

Natsu looked at Erza, then back at the man. "You know him?" he asked her.

"She does." Jellal answered for her. "We go way back. We used to live here together."

Natsu frowned and looked back at the redhead, who continued to stare at Jellal with troubled eyes. His words have clearly hurt the girl, possibly awakening something unpleasant. If he meant what the pinkette thought he did, then that would mean...

"Yes, we used to live here, along with many others." continued Jellal, almost as if reading Natsu's mind. "We suffered together, we endured together, we comforted each other, we tried to get the best out of life together. And yet, there was one thing that we did not, in fact, do together. Escape from here."

Erza took a step back. "No, that's not what happened!" she yelled out defensively, suprising Natsu.

"You took advantage of the situation and used it to escape the tower on your own. You abandoned us, Erza. Me, Simon, Millianna, Sho - you left everyone behind to save your own skin." Jellal continued to torture the redhead, his lips curving in a sinister smile.

"No!"

Erza tightly grasped her head with her hands, as she sulked in her spot. She was trembling, the sudden meeting shaking her right to her core. She tightly closed her eyes, almost like a child, who tried to hide away from monsters.

"Erza."

Just before she was hit by her usual wave of memories, she was brought back to the earth by someone's voice. It was kind, soothing and understanding. She opened her eyes and felt someone gently grab her neck and pull it, until her forehead met with something hard.

It turned out to be Natsu, who grabbed Erza's neck with his right hand and pulled it towards himself, meeting her forehead with his. He locked his onyx eyes with hers, his gentle breath gently spreading over her skin.

"Calm down." he said quietly. "Don't let this guy get into your head, he's not worth it."

The knight stared into his eyes with awe, his voice already starting to soothe her troubled mind.

"I don't know what your connection with this guy is, but even an idiot like me can see just how full of shit he is. Don't let yourself be tied down by the likes of him."

Erza was now even more shocked. "What are you..."

"I know it will sound pathetic." continued Natsu. "But right now, you're the closest person I have. I've lived on my own for years, to the point where I actually forgot what emotions feel like. And then, you showed me kindness that I'd have never expected after the rough start we both had. For that, I will never be able to pay you back, but there's something I can do for you. Since you forced me to make you a promise, allow me to return the favor."

He then pressed his forehead against Erza's even harder, actually hurting her a little.

"We're both bound by our demons, and we both showed them to each other. I'm a lost cause, but you can still do it."

Erza blinked in confusion, not entirely following him.

"Promise me that by the time we walk out of this tower, you will no longer be bound by this place. Be it this guy, or this tower itself - tomorrow, you will be a free woman. You're strong enough to do it. Kill this demon, use your strength and cut its head off. Got it?"

After hearing these words, Erza felt wetness on her left cheek, a single tear finding its way out of her eye. Natsu's words , although quite crude, moved her the way she never felt before, filling her with an unusual feeling of safety and courage. Just in this little space around them, she felt safe.

Erza smiled lightly and took a hold of Natsu's hand with her own. She took it off her neck and brought it down, gently holding it in her armored palm.

"I'll try." she said with a cheeky smile, her trembling gone.

Natsu snorted in amusement and grinned as well. "'Touché." He then freed his hand from Erza's and turned around, facing Jellal once again, the smile on his face fading away.

"I'd never expect to see you involved in such a touching moment, Salamander." said Jellal.

Natsu did not reply, and instead started to walk towards the Commandment. Jellal took his hands off his chest and walked away from the wall, anticipating an attack. It never came, however, as Natsu simply passed him and started to make his way up the stairs.

"You really think showing your back to me is a good idea?" asked Jellal, clearly insulted after being ignored, his previously carefree and confident tone replaced by a slightly irritated one.

Natsu stopped on the fourth step and gently turned his head around. "You're free to try."

Erza watched both men, tension between them reaching unbearable levels. After what felt like minutes, Jellal chuckled to himself.

"Well played." was all he said, before shifting his attention back onto Erza.

Natsu waited for few more seconds and started to walk up the stairs, disappearing in the shadows shortly after.

"Well then. Now that the biggest obstacle is out of the way..." began Jellal. "We can finally talk."

Erza glared into his eyes and picked up her sword, pointing it at him. "There's nothing to talk about. You're a part of this, therefore, you're my enemy."

"Am I?" questioned The Heavens. "I just let Salamander pass right by me, allowing him to meet Silva, something all the Commandments below risked their life for, to not let it happen under these circumstances. The way I see it, we're allies."

The knight felt her eyes narrow. "What do you mean?"

"Do you honestly think Silva's goal is _just_ resurrecting Zeref?" asked Jellal. "This man isn't nearly half as clever as he thinks he is."

"What in the world are you talking about?" shot Erza.

"Truthfully, it'd be for the best if Salamander and Silva killed each other, thus removing themselves from my way." continued the man, ignoring the redhead. "Even I wouldn't be able to take them both on my own."

"Jellal!"

Erza's scream finally gained his attention.

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her voice slightly calmer and quieter.

Jellal locked his eyes with her brown irises, a slight feeling of nostalgia filling his heart.

"I guess I might as well tell you." he said. "You're an important piece in my plans, you deserve at least as much."

He then started to walk towards Erza, making slow, but steady steps. He stopped just few feet away from her, his eyes glued to hers.

"Let's start from the beginning, shall we?"

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Christina**

Wendy wiped the sweat off her forehead, after successfully healing some of Mirajane's minor injuries. The ship was crowded and filled with people, clad in some spare blankets and their injuries patched up by the Trimens. It's been twenty minutes since Juvia brought a group of slaves onto the ship, much to their suprise. Upon hearing her, Gray hid in the other room, afraid of being seen in his current state. He decided to make it his own recovery area, where he rested after being treated by Hibiki.

Wendy shifted her attention at Mira once again, losing herself in the sight. She was lying right next to Gajeel, both of their lives no longer in danger, both of them sleeping peacefully. Gajeel's shoulder was now closed and his leg tightly wrapped in bandages, but not tight enough to cut the flow of blood. Mirajane's hand was much more tricky to heal, as Wendy had to personally cut the burnt, hanging skin with scissors, and then treat it with a mix of special ointment and her magic.

"Take a break, Wendy-chan."

The girl was brought back from her trance by Hibiki, who was currently wrapping an elderly woman's head with bandages. "You've been pushing yourself for a while now. Take a break, we can manage on our own."

Wendy shook her head. "I'm fine, Hibiki-san. I can't sit when everyone else is doing their best."

The man smiled. "I see. In that case, please take a look at Gray-san. I can't help but think I did something wrong while treating him, I'd feel much better if an expert took a look at it."

Wendy mumbled something about not being an expert, but complied to Hibiki's suggestion and made her way through the room. She stepped out and headed directly into Gray's room.

"Gray-san, I'm here to check up on-" she started, before feeling her eyes widen.

"Hibiki-san!"

Wendy's scream scared the man, but he quickly threw what he was doing aside and chased after the voice, quickly catching up to it. He stormed into the room and quickly checked it out.

Gray was done, the blanket he was resting on bloodied and left on the floor. The window was open, the cold, night wind getting into the ship.

"That idiot!" breathed out angry Hibiki, before running out in order to alarm Ichiya.

Wendy picked up the blanket and felt her heart ache at the sight of the blood. She then looked out the window, a fresh, bloody trail spreading up the white stairs.

"Gray-san..."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, First Floor**

Gray breathed heavily and clutched his aching right side. Despite being able to walk, the pain was still there, not making the journey any less challenging. He passed by the battlefield, walking around the hole in the ground, made by Mirajane not even an hour ago.

His knees bent under his weight, making him drop onto the ground. Panting heavily, he lifted himself off the floor and molded an ice crutch, which he used to support himself. He then glared into the shadows, his thoughts focused on one particular person.

"Just you wait. I'm coming for you."

 **End of Chapter 11. To be continued in Chapter 12: The Beast's Howling.'**

* * *

 **Aaaand cut. Before I got into this author's note, let me clear some things for you good people.**

 **\- My Erza is worse at coping with her past than her canon self. I've already made it clear in earlier chapters**

 **\- In this story, Erza was not thrown away by Jellal for not joining him. Instead, she was unable to find him after he was taken away, therefore forcing her to get out without him or the others.**

 **\- Arthur's magic will be explained in next chapters. It's actually much more complex than it looks like, since I did not want to go for the simple "time stop" seen in many other stories**

 **Right then, back to the usual stuff.**

 **I've probably butchered the meeting between Erza and Jellal, but I decided to save the main thing for later. Unlike other conflicts in this story, this one will be pretty much dialogue driven, so look forward to it.  
**

 **I hope I did not creep you out with that Luppi and Juvia scene. I really wanted to show you just how terrifying mind control can be.**

 **Well then, I'm off. Expect some spelling fixed tomorrow, cuz as always, I definitely missed something out. Let me know what yuo thought in the reviews and see yuo next time!**


	12. The Beast's Howling Part 1

**Sup guys. So, things got a little complicated and I realised I had too much stuff to write in this chapter, therefore, I've divided it into two parts. Both this and next upload will be considered as the same chapter. I think you'd all rather have this thing cut in two, rather than have to go through a giant, 20,000 words long brick.**

 **With that said, I hope you enjoy it. This part focuses on Laxus and Lucy, with a small dose of Erza. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **First minutes of November 24th, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

"Well then, shall we begin?"

Laxus' brow twitched in irritation. The eagerness of his opponent played on his nerves.

"You asked for it, old man." breathed the Dragon Slayer before dashing at the elder.

Laxus quickly found himself effectively closing the distance between him and Arthur, until he felt himself slowing down. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he continued to make his way through already stopped time and pulled back his arm, which now felt like it weighed a ton. The Time swiftly dodged the strike and pushed a knife from beneath his sleeve, slashing at the blonde, who leaned back just in time to avoid getting cut on his face. Before Arthur could regain his position, Laxus answered with a left hook that was blocked by the man. Arthur pushed Laxus' arm aside and answered with a kick underneath his chin, rocking his head upwards. He then jumped back just as Laxus' lowered his head. He kicked the ground much harder than before and caught the suprised Commandment with a right straight that pushed him back and knocked him off balance.

Laxus followed the man, clad in his lightning and continued his barrage with a right kick that smashed Arthur into the ground. He then tried to stomp the elder, who rolled out of the way and kicked Laxus' only leg touching the ground, tripping him in the process. Arthur gracefully stood up and jumped back, only to then start running in a circle around Laxus, who was now back on his feet. As the blonde wondered what the elder was doing, he felt his eyes widen at the sight of multiple Arthur's running circles around him, as the man multiplied. After a short moment they all stopped in their tracks and threw themselves at Laxus, who responded by jumping upwards, effectively avoiding all of them. Or so he thought, as he felt someone flying above him, only to be met with Arthur's elderly face right before his. The Time kicked Laxus in the jaw, rocking him so hard he barely stayed conscious and crashed him into the ground, where the rest of his afterimages waited for their chance to finish the Dragon Slayer. Feeling anger building up, Laxus put his hand on the ground and electrocuted it, shocking every single one of Arthur's copies. As it turned out, the original was also amongst them, as he buckled over, grunting from pain. Laxus used this moment and delivered a powerful punch to the man's stomach, lightning spreading all over his body from the struck place. Arthur was blown back and landed on his back, sliding on the ground.

After this strike, Laxus' body became lighter, with time resuming its flow. Before he could take a breath, however, Laxus picked up a familiar sound with his ears and looked up, only to see a storm of knives making their way towards him. He clenched his fist and swatted them away with a big lightning, the blades falling onto the ground. The blonde finally breathed out, his chest burning and his heart pounding like crazy. Despite being able to move within Arthur's magic thanks to the lacrima implanted into his chest, Laxus' human body still weighed him down, greatly crippling his abilities.

With Arthur still on the ground, Laxus grit his teeth and, despite the heaviness of his body, rushed at the elder. He got in position above the man and pulled back his right arm, striking with it. Arthur rolled away from the punch, which connected with the floor and put his right hand on the ground, which he used to support himself and pushed the ground, as he kicked Laxus underneath his chin once again. He then grabbed his right arm and kicked him in the chest with his other leg. He did this three times before pushing Laxus away and rolling back. As soon as he raised his head he was met with a fist coated in lightning, with a furious Laxus landing a powerful left low uppercut on the elder's quickly put up guard. Arthur felt his nose being squashed and his arms becoming numb from both the force of the strike and the lightning that spread right into his nerves. Laxus gave his strike one final push and sent Arthur flying, immediately chasing after him. Before Arthur could react, Laxus caught up to him in the air and grinded him into the ground with his fist, which was once again blocked. Arthur once again stopped time, effectively weighing Laxus down and quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, swiftly wrapping it in an armbar. He then pushed his legs and secured Laxus underneath his weight. Knowing full well he wouldn't hold the Dragon Slayer for long, Arthur released his left arm off Laxus' and pulled out another knife, before bringing it down, aiming at the blonde's unguarded heart. Laxus quickly covered his body in lightning, which blocked most of the impact, however the tip still pierced his skin. Laxus forcefully pulled his arm out and tried to strike Arthur, who quickly rolled backwards and jumped away, time resuming once again.

Laxus stood up and panted heavily, unable to cover it. He reached down and pulled the knife out of his chest, before throwing it away.

"It appears countering my magic takes a major toll on your body." noted Arthur. "Unfortunately, it seems like our battle will be a short one."

"As if you're any different." panted Laxus. Although he did a good job of hiding it, Arthur was also heaving trouble breathing. "But I gotta say, for an assassin, you're unusually eager to be out in the open." noticed Laxus. "I thought guys like you hide in shadows and never show their face around."

"Correct." replied shortly The Time. "But that is not my current occupation anymore, therefore, I can put my old rules aside. Enjoying a battle with this magic of mine is one of my old dreams, and as of now, you're fulfilling it magnificently."

"Still, seems like this magic of yours is quite dangerous."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at this statement, slightly confused.

"Other may not have picked it up, but since my ears are special, I found out your weakness." smirked Laxus and tapped his right ear with his finger. "Every time you use your magic, your heart stops. That's why you're out of breath. You don't stop time, you simply freeze everything and everyone around you at the cost of your heartbeat, creating an illusion of frozen time."

Arthur's eyes narrowed, as he sighed through his nose. For the first time since he showed himself, he looked angry. "As expected...is what I should be saying right now, but for some reason, I feel a slight sense of defeat. Nobody has ever figured out the truth behind my magic. Consider my pride hurt. I suppose taking this seriously and killing you will be a sufficient payment for this embarrassment. Now, let us continue. I believe you bought enough time to recover."

Laxus clicked his tongue. There was no way around Arthur's keen nose.

The elder tapped the floor with the tip of his right shoe and dashed at Laxus in a mad run, unusual for a man of his age. Laxus' eyes widened in suprise, before feeling his body double in weight once again. Arthur easily jumped over his overhand right and kicked Laxus in the back while in the air. This staggered the blonde, who had to awkwardly run for couple steps. He clenched his fist and threw a powerful backfist, only to hit nothing but air, as Arthur was once again above him, this time higher. Time resumed its flow, and Laxus was met with a shower of knives flying in his direction. Just when he was about to jump back, he noticed that the blades have suddenly skipped few meters while in the air and plunged themselves all over his body. Laxus loudly grunted in pain as stinging pain burned his shoulders, legs and forearms. None of the blades entered deep, but they still hurt.

Laxus jumped back and flexed his body, the blades popping out of him. Small rivers of blood streamed down his legs, arms and chest, as he wondered what the hell happened.

"It appears you're still ahead of me when it comes to the number of our weaknesses."

Laxus quickly turned around in search of Arthur, but the man was already gone. Confused, he picked up his scent right behind him. He quickly threw another backfist, only to miss again.

"Although you are practically immune to my magic, there's still a small window where you're just as affected as other people."

Laxus once again threw his neck and finally noticed Arthur, who was currently standing good 20 feet away from him.

"By my count, it lasts around one second, however, for me it's more than enough." continued Arthur, before pulling on his gloves. "It allows me to do this."

All of a sudden, Laxus felt sharp pain in his right side. Before he could react, he felt two more strikes being landed on his heart and right shoulder. Gasping from pain and shock, he noticed that Arthur was standing right in front of him, his hands behind his back. Laxus grit his teeth and pulled his right arm back, ready to strike. He felt his head being knocked back, with Arthur not moving even an inch. Two more strikes to his stomach and the Dragon Slayer found himself on his knees, his hands on the aching area.

"This is how it should be from the very beginning." whispered Arthur and put his foot on Laxus' head, earning himself a hateful look from the blonde. "Letting my personal feelings get in the way of my mission was foolish, I guess I really am getting old."

Laxus tried to catch the elder by suprise and threw a small combo of a short uppercut and long left hook, but once again, his fist met nothing. Now back on his feet, he jumped away and turned his body into lightning, searching the area with his senses, ready to counterattack. He caught a small sound behind him and threw a **Heavenward Halberd,** hoping to catch the Commandment by suprise. Instead, he felt his ribs bending under the weight of Arthur's kick, which knocked the wind out of him. The elder then dodged a giant lightning thrown by Laxus and kicked him in the kidneys, making him fall onto his face. He quickly got up and turned his body into lightning again, flying across the floor. Suddenly, he felt multiple knives passing right through him. Locked onto his target, he closed the distance in an instant and pulled his arm back, ready to strike. With his fist mere centimeters away from Arthur's old face, Laxus smirked in triumph, only to be kicked in the lower back, with enough force to bend him into a bow. Laxus crashed into the floor and slid on it, the pain in his back spreading throughout his legs as well.

"You may be able to turn yourself into lightning and use it to maneuver and dodge attack, but you are unable to attack in this form, thus, you are forced to resume your physical appearance for the moment of strike. Unfortunately for you, I'm not that old or slow to miss that moment. You have no chance of winning." exclaimed Arthur.

Laxus clenched his fists, both of them crackling dangerously and stood up, ready to fight again. Before he was given a chance to attack, he felt himself being blown back, blood escaping his mouth.

"Enemies of Master Silva must be eliminated." whispered The Time, before continuing his onslaught.

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy panted heavily as she run across the prison, her chest burning and her throat aching from panting. She was soaking wet and covered in bruises from all the impacts Juvia's water had with her body. For the past 15 minutes she did nothing but run away and call out to Juvia, hoping she finally gets through to her friend. Just when she was about to do it once again, she heard the already familiar sound and lowered her head, dodging a sharp blade made out of water flying right above her head. The attack hit the wall behind her and cut right through it, leaving a curved cut.

"Juvia, please! Come to your senses!" she cried to her friend, who was once again chasing after her in fury.

Her only response was a stream of water that hit her straight in the back and sent her flying along with the current. She rolled on the ground, her whole body sore and achy. She stood up with great difficulty and threw herself to the right to avoid yet another attack.

"Gray is alive! He's messing with your mind, please, wake up!" Lucy tried to get to Juvia one more time.

The bluenette grimaced in fury and swiped her hand to the right. Before she could react, Lucy was trapped in a ball of water.

"Don't you dare speak his name." whispered menacingly Juvia.

The sound of clapping reached Lucy's ears, with Luppi standing on the side, clearly amused by the turn of events happening before him.

"I can't believe how amusing this is." he chuckled to himself. "One fake memory and we have ourselves a true spectacle. You know, I thought she'd at least struggle and question whether her friend could really do such a thing, but instead, she went full psycho. If I were you, I'd hate the one who let her into your guild, she's clearly insane."

Lucy glared at the Commandment with pure hatred. She never despised someone as much as she hated him. She didn't keep it for long, though, as her air supply was running out, water making its way down her throat. She fought as hard as she could to reach out to her keys, but her arms were simply too heavy to do it. Just when she thought it was over, she felt air filling her nose and water escaping her mouth.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a big ball of light crashed into the water prison, breaking it in the process. Lucy fell out and coughed loudly, her throat and lungs burning, as she desperately gasped for air. She opened her teary eyes and noticed Loke standing in front of her, ready to protect her once again.

"Loke..." she breathed out weakly, a small smile forming on her face, relieved to see him.

The spirit turned around and smiled back. "Sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to get back to earth. But now that I'm here..."

He then turned around, his face twisting in an angry grimace. "It's payback time."

"Loke, don't!" cried out Lucy. "He did something to her! She's not doing it out of her free will!"

"Even if you tell me that, I can't hold back." retorted Loke. He closely watched Juvia, who was constantly trying to walk around him, trying to get to Lucy.

"Move out of the way." she growled.

"I don't think I will." replied Loke before covering his fist in light.

Juvia grunted and shot a giant stream of water in his direction. The spirit put up his hand and blocked it, the liquid breaking upon impact with his extended palm. The water splashed in all directions, successfully blocked. He then grabbed the water with his fingers and swiped his arm to the right, dispelling the attack. Juvia looked at him shocked, while his expression was rather stoic.

"You may have caught me by suprise earlier, but it won't happen again." he said quietly. "I'm ending this pointless fight, here and now."

Loke quickly dashed at Juvia and caught up to her. He clenched his fist, which was bright enough to blind everyone on the floor and struck it into her stomach, not giving her a chance to turn her body into water.

 ** _REGULUS IMPACT!_**

The strike doubled Juvia over, saliva escaping her mouth. She hanged on Loke's arm, motionless, a quiet, long gasp escaping her mouth. After couple seconds, her eyes closed on their own, as she fell unconscious. Loke gently wrapped his arms around her and picked her up bridal style, before carrying her over to Lucy's side. Luppi watched this scene with irritation written on his face, clearly not fond of the idea of fighting on his own once again.

Loke placed Juvia right next to Lucy and smiled reassuringly at the blonde. "Don't worry. I'll finish this." He then kicked the ground as hard as he could, breaking it into large pieces. He picked up two of them and set them up before Lucy and Juvia, almost as if shielding them. "Stay here and don't peek out. I won't let him control either of you any longer."

Just before Lucy could protest, Loke was already walking in Luppi's direction, who was also walking up to the spirit.

"Things just can't go my way, can they?" he whined, before pulling out his knife.

"Not while I'm here." retorted Loke and clenched his fists, light covering them once again. "I hope you're ready, punk."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

"What did you say?!"

Erza didn't mean to scream, but her reaction was still absolutely justified. She kept her eyes locked on Jellal's face, his words sinking deep into her soul, filling her with deep sense of terror. "There's no way something like that would ever work!"

Jellal smirked at her reaction. "I'm glad we're on the same page, Erza. I hope now you understand my wish of stopping Silva from doing something this cruel."

Erza's eyes narrowed. On one hand, she didn't trust him even one bit. On the other, his reaction seemed unusually genuine.

"Is that why you let Natsu pass right by you? So that he did the dirty work for you?" she asked, trying to pull him by his tongue.

"Even I am not powerful enough to take down Silva on my own." replied Jellal. "And with the other Commandments around, there was no way I could ever get in his way. Until you arrived with your little army, that is. Now, I am finally capable of putting a stop to Silva's madness."

"Is that why you said I was essential to your plans? You wanted to use me and my friends to make a path for your own, personal desires?" she asked.

The Commandment chuckled lightly. "Not exactly. You see, with all the Commandments and Salamander dead, I'll finally be able to fulfill what I've always been meant to do. What I was entrusted with 7 years ago, when you abandoned me to die."

Erza clenched her fists, not letting him provoke her. She knew he was trying to win her over by pulling on her weaknesses. She couldn't help but feel disgust spreading all over her chest: whoever this was, he was no longer the Jellal she knew.

Jellal spread his arms and lifted his head upwards, looking at the ceiling. He looked like a preacher, ready to share his words with his audience. "In the darkest hour, he was the one who reached out to me. He was the one who showed me the truth, he was the one who saved me from my enslavement. When all my enemies destroy each other, and Luppi does the one, only thing he's ever been useful for, I will finally bring back the true ruler of this world. Together with Zeref, I will create the perfect world we've always been meant to live in!"

If Erza was disgusted earlier, now she felt plain sick. She stared at Jellal with widened, angry eyes, unable to form proper sentences. "Have you lost your mind?"

"No. I woke up. I realised what we're living in right now, is a world of lies. I will tear it down and make a new, true world along with Zeref. To achieve that, I will sacrifice your body, Erza." he whispered. "You were the beginning of this, and you will be the end as well. With your death, the circle will be complete. Zeref will return to this world, and reclaim what is rightfully his."

Erza exhaled through her nose and spread her legs apart, getting into a fighting stance. She then Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and pointed her blade at Jellal. "You've lost your mind. There is no other explanation for this madness."

Jellal smirked at her words. "Be it through force or your own will, you will fulfill your duty. It's your fault I'm like this, Erza. Take responsibility."

The knight's eyes narrowed sorrowly, as she repeated Natsu's words in her head like a chant. "I have no intention of taking a part in your insanity. I will put a stop to you, Jellal."

The Heavens removed his cloak, revealing a skin-tight battle outfit, dark in color on the area of his stomach, chest, and foreams, with the rest being of a slightly brighter shade of said color. Groups of three thin lines ran up his arms and legs, starting from the very end of the sleeves. He was wearing black combat boots, very similar to Natsu's, and his hands were protected by white gloves.

"You will try." he whispered menacingly, green energy glowing around his body.

Erza grit her teeth and kicked the ground, flying at her former friend. The great speed of her armor allowed her to quickly close the distance and slash at Jellal's neck. The man simply smiled, even with the knight's blade mere centimeters away from his neck.

 ** _METEOR_**

Erza's sword cut through the air, completely missing its target. Disorientated, she looked around in search of him, only to feel dull pain on her back, as Jellal kicked her in-between her wings. Erza took couple steps forward and slashed back at the man, once again missing him. She noticed him right by the ceiling, her eyes widening in suprise.

Jellal was moving so fast the only thing he was leaving behind was green glow. His entire body was covered in a green ball of light, that greatly increased his movements. He landed his feet on the ceiling and rushed directly at Erza, who responded with a quick horizontal slash. He quickly jumped over it and aimed yet another kick at the knight's back, which she gracefully blocked with her sword. She flexed her arms and pushed him back, knocking him out of balance for a short moment, which was long enough to let Erza send one more strike in his direction, which he ultimately ended up dodging.

"You'll have to do better than that if you wish to catch up to my speed." he mocked her, before flying towards the ceiling once again. Erza kicked the ground and followed him, flapping her wings at their highest speed. She continued to slash at Jellal, her attacks too sluggish to catch him. For each of her failed strikes, she received one in return, with Jellal openly toying with her. Feeling anger take over her mind, she threw her sword at Jellal's face, only to have him headslip to his left and let the blade pass right beside his head and plant itself in the wall. Erza summoned two axes and used them to aimlessly hack at the man, still nowhere near his speed. Jellal ducked right under her right arm and kicked her in the abdomen, making her cough up some blood. He dragged her in the air with his leg, before giving it a final push and sending her flying towards the ground, making her crash into it.

The man then hovered back onto the ground, his eyes focused on the cloud of smoke and dust. He knew it was not enough to bring Titania down. However, when after couple seconds Erza still hadn't come out of the smoke, he started to believe it was already over.

 ** _REQUIP: FLIGHT ARMOR!_**

Erza kicked the ground as hard as she could and dashed towards Jellal, flying out of the dust cloud. The man smirked in amusement, glad that she was still on her feet and sidestepped away from her strike. The knight circled around and followed him, repeatedly attacking him with her weapons.

The Commandment continued to dodge her strikes, his cocky smile never leaving his face. He ducked under Erza's thrust and struck her in the stomach with his fist. Erza grit her teeth in pain and slid back, with Jellal following her. She did not wait for him and stepped in as well, slashing at him vertically with her right sword, only to see him slip out of her weapon's range. She followed through by thrusting her sword into his face, but he dodged it by sidestepping to his left.

Erza did not give up and switched the position of her right arm. From beneath her still extended left hand she slashed horizontally at Jellal, nearly catching his nose with the tip of her blade. The man's smile faded away at the sight of her weapon so close to his face, his confidence beginning to take light damage. Erza then turned around to face him and threw her left sword directly at him, forcing him to move out of the way. Because of this attack, he had to take his eyes off of the knight, who used it to her advantage.

Erza quickly closed the distance between her and Jellal and slashed at him with her last remaining weapon. He dodged it yet again, however this time, Erza was ready. By predicting his movements, she quickly followed through with a right high kick, catching the man directly across his face. His head was slightly blown away to the side, his face expressing pure shock and disbelief. He turned around to look at Erza, only to see her brown, terrifying eyes in front of his. He quickly backstepped away from the knight, dodging her attack at the last second.

Erza turned her body around and threw her weapon into Jellal once again, this time more as a distraction. While he was busy dodging the sword flying right past his face, Erza ran up to him, bright light surrounding her figure.

 _ **REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!**_

Using the element of suprise, Erza decided to go for a sure, one hit victory. She lifted her giant club above her head and brought it down onto Jellal, who flew away just in time to avoid a devastating strike that shook the entire floor. Sick and tired of Erza's persistence, he dashed towards her, ready to counter attack, only to see her back in her **Flight Armor** right in front of his face.

 _"She's switching back and forth between this and other armors?!"_ he thought in disbelief while dodging her sword, which left a slight cut on his cheek.

Erza once again started a barrage of thrusts in his direction, forcing him to strain himself in order to dodge them all. Feeling anger building up inside of him, he ducked right under Erza's thrust and struck her stomach with his right hand, only to feel it being blocked by the woman's left sword. Not wasting this chance, Erza headbutted him in the nose and kicked him in the stomach, before catching up to his sliding figure and slashing his chest, blood spurting out of the wound.

Jellal slid on the floor, his head leaned towards the ground. After few meters he finally stopped and sighed through his nose. He looked at his chest wound, which was much more shallow than Erza expected it to be and touched it with his fingers. He looked at the blood on his hand and smeared it in-between his fingers and then shifted his gaze at Erza.

"Perhaps I've underestimated you." he said. His voice was calm, however, it reminded Erza of a frozen lake. Under his calm tone, there was a vast amount of built up anger and fury. "But, perhaps that is just my own mistake. You're worthy of the title of a Wizard Saint, trying to preserve my magic power while fighting you was idiotic. I'll have to postpone my plans for a little longer, but I think it's the right time I took you seriously."

His feet left the ground, as he started to lift himself in the air. Erza followed him with her eyes, before feeling them widen in shock at the sight before her.

"When did you-"

"This is the difference between us, Erza." he cut her off.

Above him were seven big magic circles, all of them connected by a thick line of green energy. They were all aimed directly at Erza, immense magic power gathering inside of them.

The Heavens put his right hand over his left one, his index and middle fingers being the only ones spread out, aimed at Erza.

"Be judged by Seven Stars." he muttered.

 ** _GRAND CHARIOT!_**

Seven powerful beams of light were launched in Erza's direction, quickly closing in to her shocked face. An enormous explosion of light shook the entire floor, the impact cracking the floor and walls all over the floor, pieces of debris flying in all directions. Jellal softly landed on the ground, anticipating the results of his attack.

"Is this your definition of serious?"

Jellal's eyes shot wide open in shock at the sound of Erza's voice. When the dust finally settled, he was met with the sight of Erza, clad in her freshly repaired **Adamantine Armor,** her shields raised high above her head. They were battered in, some cracks appearing on their surface, but other than that, Erza was completely fine and unharmed.

"I suppose I was worried for no reason. You disappoint me, Jellal." said Erza, before Requipping back to her **Flight Armor**.

Jellal exhaled through his nose and resumed his fighting pose. It was clear she was trying to provoke him, but her words still made him feel unusual sense of irritation and hurt hurt pride, which fueled his anger even further.

"You will regret your insolence."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Lucy continued to grip the piece of debris she was hiding behind so hard her knuckles hurt. She helplessly watched Loke being beaten by Luppi, who started to be much more vicious with his attacks. Despite not having the same biology as humans, it was clear to her that Loke was on his absolute limit.

The spirit threw a barrage of punches at the teenager, who, despite his bad condition, dodged every single one of his attacks. As soon as Loke retracted his fists to rest for a moment, he stepped in and punched him in the stomach. He then slashed at him with his knife, missing just by the skin of teeth, with Loke leaning his throat back at the last second. The Commandment clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked the spirit in the chest, pushing him away.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is, fighting you and controlling the entire Council at the same time?" asked Luppi. "Drop dead already, will ya?"

Loke did not respond, and instead wiped his panting mouth with his sleeve. He ligt his fists once again and bent his knees, ready to attack again. Luppi simply sighed at the sight and resumed his position. "Give me a break."

Both men started to fight once again, with Loke receiving the first strike. Lucy clenched her teeth so hard they hurt and watched the fight from afar.

"There has to be something I can do." she whispered to herself, angry at her helplessness. She looked to her side, where Juvia was sleeping, as she recalled what happened to her friend. "If I go out, I'll end up like Juvia. But if I stay here, Loke will suffer."

Just when she thought there was no way out of the situation, she felt gears turn in her head the right way, an idea forming in her mind. She couldn't help but feel her lips curve in a small grin, as she stood up from the ground. "I think Erza's recklessness is rubbing off on me." she whispered.

Loke once again tried to land a hit on Luppi, who caught his arm by the wrist and pulled him towards himself, nailing the spirit with a kick to his abdomen. Loke buckled over, allowing Luppi to kick him under the chin and send him fly upwards, before landing on his back. Loke quickly tried to stand up, which came with great difficulty after the abuse he received, and put up his guard once again.

"That's enough!"

The sudden call caused Loke's eyes to shoot wide open, making him quickly turn his head in the direction of the voice. It belonged to Lucy, who was currently walking across the prison in their direction, her step quick and angry.

"What the hell are you doing here?! Step back!" he yelled out to her. Just when his mouth closed, she stopped in her place. her eyes losing their focus, as she stood still like a doll. Loke grit his teeth in anger and turned back to Luppi, who was smirking in triumph.

"I think fate is playing hard to get." he whispered.

"You bastard!" yelled Loke and threw himself at The Mind, who quickly stepped out of the way and got behind the spirit. He followed him in pursuit, before forcing himself to come to a halt, with Luppi now standing right behind Lucy. The Commandment walked up to the blonde so close he was leaning on her with his body and smelled her neck.

"I really can't figure out whether this chick is dumb as bricks, or smart. She just keeps suprising me." he laughed, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Now then, Mister Spirit. I have a deal for you."

Loke was at boiling point. No matter hos hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a way to get out of this situation. Trying to buy more time, he bit the bait. "What kind of a deal?"

"A very simple one." replied Luppi almost immediately. "Since I can't force her to close the gate, I'm pretty sure you came here on your own. I want you to disappear, and leave both of us alone. Otherwise, I'll snap her neck right here, right now."

His hands were now wrapped around Lucy's chin and top of her head, as he already started to push her head at an angle.

"If I leave, you'll kill them both." snarled furious Loke.

"Yes, but then you don't have to watch it. I say it's a good deal." hummed Luppi and bent Lucy's neck even further.

Loke lowered his head in anger and shame. His fists were clenched so hard he almost drew blood. Memories of his previous Master resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of the guilt he felt when she died. Now, she was about to relive it once again. Just when he was about to give up, he noticed someone behind Luppi and couldn't help but feel major weight being lifted off his chest. Unable to contain himself, he grinned.

Luppi blinked in confusion at the sight before him and felt Lucy begin to struggle in his arms. Now completely lost, he fought with the girl, until she bent her beck backwards at an unnatural angle, a wide grin on her face, her eyes completely rid of pupils.

"Would you mind letting go? It hurts us." she said in a dual, childish voice, scaring the Commandment.

"What the-" he exclaimed and quickly let go of her. Before he could say anything else, he felt something tightly wrapping itself on his beck. He reached out to his throat, his hands meeting a whip. He turned around and felt his eyes open in shock, with another Lucy standing behind him.

"Leave my spirits alone." she muttered quietly and pulled on the weapon, putting more pressure on Luppi's neck.

"Nice job, Lucy." smirked Loke and lit up his fist as hard as he could.

Luppi watched him approach with his fist lighting up more and more with each step. Terror filling his heart, he tried to forcefully free himself from the hold, but before he could succeed, it was already too late.

 ** _REGULUS IMPACT!_**

Loke drove his fist into Luppi's open abdomen, folding the teenager like a pocket knife. Blood escaped his mouth along with a loud gasp, the light spreading all over his body. Lucy let go of her whip and Loke gave it one last push, before sending the Commandment flying, as he rolled on the ground, before stopping on his stomach, lying few meters away, motionless.

Loke panted heavily, exhausted and about to disappear, but he still managed to give Lucy his trademark smile. The girl smiled back with a grin of her own, happy they finally defeated their opponent.

"I sure hope it's finally over." panted Loke. "I'm sick of this kid."

"I think we all are." answered Lucy and turned around to face her other self. She smiled kindly at her doppelganger. "We wouldn't have done it without you, Gemini. Thank you."

Smoke covered the other Lucy, revealing two little spirits, who danced in the air. "It really hurt!" they said in unison.

"I know. I'll make it up to you!" Lucy clapped her hands in front of her face, as if asking for forgiveness.

"Now, the Chairman should be free from his control." threw in Loke and walked up to Lucy. The blonde then twitched a little, but turned around and smiled at him.

"Yes." she said shortly. She then bent down and picked up Luppi's knife.

Loke looked around the floor, looking for the exit. "Now, I think it'd be for the best if you-"

His sentence was interrupted by a knife entering his throat. Loke looked to his left in shock, his eyes locking onto Lucy, who was currently holding the knife stuck in his neck. Her eyes were empty, her expression nonchalant, even bored. She swiped the knife to her right, slashing the spirit's neck, causing him to forcefully disappear from this world. Before he vanished, however, with the corner of his eye he noticed Luppi, who was currently standing up. Blood dripped from his mouth, his breath raspy, his face greener than fresh leaves. The teenager bent down and threw up from the strain caused by his magic. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked over at the pair, hatred in his eyes.

"After all this, I can't even kill you. Talk about unfair." he breathed out.

Loke's eyes narrowed in defeat, as he finally went back home. Luppi then took a deep breath and gave Lucy another order. The girl grabbed Gemini's key and held it in front of her.

 _ **FORCED GATE CLOSURE: GEMINI!**_

The two little spirits were sent back to the Celestial Spirit World, leaving Lucy alone with The Mind. The teenager looked at the girl with fury written on his face.

"To think because of you, our 7 year long plan almost got fucked." he snarled at her. "I'll enjoy watching this."

Lucy raised the knife and aimed it at her throat. She then put it close to her exposed, stretched neck.

"Do it." he commanded her.

Lucy obediently pushed the knife down her throat, the tip gently piercing her skin. Luppi smiled wickedly at the sight, before feeling it fade away, anger once again taking over his mind. The blonde was now fighting the order, the last remaining bit of her subconsciousness trying to overpower Luppi's magic.

"I must have overused my magic. I can barely hold her in check." The Mind whispered to himself, his head clutching his aching head. "Just hurry up and stab yourself you dumb bitch!" he roared desperately.

Just when Lucy was about to push the knife down her neck, Luppi's sight was covered by a large amount of water, which swept him away from his spot and brutally crashed him into a nearby wall, knocking the wind out of him along with his control over Lucy.

The blonde then dropped to her knees and gasped loudly, the blade falling out of her hands. Despite all the fear and pain she felt, she cracked a smile at her blue-haired friend, who was currently helping her get back on her feet. "Thank you, Juvia."

The rain woman smiled back. "You're welcome." Her expression grew stern, as she shifted her gaze onto Luppi, who was already back on his feet. "Now, if you excuse me, I believe I have a score to settle."

Luppi glued his eyes onto Juvia. Despite his desire to slaughter both of these girls, he had to prioritize mission above everything else. Deciding that he was in no condition to fight anymore, he quickly turned on his feet and started to run, hoping to retreat safely back to his Master's place. Before he could get any far, however, he was met with a wall of water, which then threw itself at him, willing to trap him. Luppi jumped back to his previous spot and glared at Juvia, responsible for the attack.

"You're not getting away!" she exclaimed, before attacking him once again.

Luppi simply watched the vast amount of water make its way towards him, his expression unreadable. With the water mere few feet away from him, he closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, before muttering three words.

"So be it."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

Laxus flew across the floor, his eyes and nose constantly searching for his opponent. He long gave up on using his ears, with Arthur's steps making absolutely no sound what so ever, a skill he learned during his time as an assassin. His body was heavy, majority of his vital points screaming out in pain from the constant abuse. Laxus decided it was better to stay on the move and avoid him for the time being, rather than taking a punishment every couple seconds.

Suddenly, his right ear twitched, which allowed him to quickly turn around and throw a lightning at a familiar sight of dozen of blades flying in his direction. He knocked them all away and quickly clenched his left fist, before throwing a blind backfist behind him, his fist flying just past the elder's face.

"Too bad." said the Commandment, before nailing Laxus with a sharp uppercut. The blonde quickly recovered and threw another barrage of punches, all of them dodged. Arthur jumped away to create some distance, but Laxus had none of that. He inhaled as much air as possible and puffed his cheeks out.

 ** _LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

An enormous blast of lightning escaped his mouth, making its way towards Arthur. The man quickly froze the entire floor and ran up to Laxus. He then resumed it just when he got close enough and put his hand on the Dragon Slayer's lower jaw. He pushed upwards, forcefully closing his mouth and cancelling the attack and quickly followed with a sharp, compact right hook to his jaw, rocking him hard. Laxus then answered with a blast of lightning, only to hit nothing but air. Just when he retracted his fist back, Arthur appeared out of thin air before him once again, a small smirk on his face.

Liver. Chin. Heart. Bridge of his nose. Kidneys. Inner thigh. Temple. In-between his shoulder blades.

Laxus' body was tossed around like a ragdoll, with powerful hits rocking his entire figure, as all the blows to said places hit him one by one, not giving him any time to react. During this assault, Arthur continued to stand before Laxus with his hands behind his back, mockingly resuming this position after each landed strike, making it look as if Laxus was being hit by thin air. The blonde felt darkness clouding his eyes, his strength leaving his body against his will. After the last strike, he could no longer feel his legs and dropped to his knees before the elder once again, completely at his mercy.

Arthur looked at the sorry state Laxus was in and sighed. "Perhaps I overdid it. Toying with our targets is frowned upon by assassins. I suppose the freedom given to me by Master Silva got to my head over the years. Forgive me, Laxus. Then again, your superb durability granted to you by your magic is truly remarkable. Nobody has ever survived this many strikes of mine."

Laxus weakly lifted his head to look at the man. "You speak of this Silva guy...like he was some sort of a god." he breathed out, ignoring the compliment.

Arthur nodded. "That's because Master Silva _is_ our God."

Laxus' raised eyebrow was the only answer the elder had received to this statement. Feeling the need to explain the situation, he continued.

"Years ago, I was caught during one of my missions. I was not a mage back then, you see. My skill could get me only so far against the likes of proficient mages. I was sentenced to death, and came to terms with it. That's where Master Silva'd found me. He showed me the truth of this world and shared his love with me. He gave me a new name and a new purpose in life, and it was at this moment that I decided to devote my life to his cause."

Laxus listened in silence, trying to recollect his strength back. Arthur continued his monologue in the meantime.

"All of the Commandments have been brought together by fate, and the very center of that fate is Master Silva. He took us in when the world had already given up on us, abandoned us. He gave us names and shared his wisdom with four of us, who were not gifted during birth, by giving us the very magics he had once trained very hard to master. In return for his kindness, we've been honored of naming him ourselves."

Arthur then spread his arms out. " **1st Commandment: The God**. That is the name we've entrusted our savior with. We live and die to serve him. His dream of resurrecting the true ruler of this world is our dream as well. And you, Laxus Dreyar." he added, before shifting his attention back to Laxus. "Are an obstacle on our way, that must be removed."

Laxus continued to look at Arthur, completely unimpressed by the speech. He sighed lightly, before speaking out. "I still don't get you people. Not that it matters, anyway. This fight is already over."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You are in no condition to fight. Therefore, yes, the fight is already settled."

Laxus chuckled weakly. "Old age is truly disgusting. If I had met you few years ago, I'd have probably been dead already. But now, I actually have a chance."

The Time was starting to lose his temper. Did this youngster really think he still had a way out of this situation?

"Take a good look at me, and try to figure it out before it's too late." said Laxus, smirking.

Arthur listened to his words and searched his figure with his eyes, trying to find out what sort of an insane idea he still had. He looked at his hands and that's when it clicked. His old eyes widened, fear grasping his heart, but before he could react, it was already too late.

Laxus' sinister grin was the last thing he saw before the inevitable.

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S PILLAR!**_

A giant pillar of yellow lightning that erupted from beneath the floor swallowed Arthur whole, devouring him. Sparks and pieces of debris flew in all directions, as Laxus continued to pump his magic power into the floor. His hands were planted up to the middle of his forearms in the ground, where he sneakily put them during Arthur's monologue. **  
**

After couple more seconds, Laxus dispelled the attack, the pillar fading away. It revealed a burned Arthur, his suit torn and scorched, his body covered in light and medium burns, his entire figure constantly twitching against his will. His limbs were numb, his heart pounding at a ridiculous rate, making him unable to put his magic to good use.

"I'll admit, you're powerful. Your speed and timing are perfect. But even you can't dodge an attack you can't see coming." growled Laxus, as he stood up from his spot. He was in no better shape than the elder, but the fight wasn't over just yet.

He kicked the ground and threw himself at the elder, who in return jumped back, just as sluggishly. His hands glowed in bright light, as he Requipped another dozen of knives and threw them at the blonde, who swatted them away with a lightning. He caught up to the elder and punched him in the gut, but not before receiving a quick hit on his chin in return. Laxus took a wobbly step back, which allowed Arthur to follow up by stabbing a blade down Laxus' shoulder. The Dragon Slayer caught him by the wrist and headbutted the elder in the nose, before lifting him off the ground and throwing him at a nearby wall. He then reached out and pulled the blade out, blood flowing down his torso.

He quickly ran after the elder, who was already back on his feet. With his heart already back to normal, he froze Laxus once again and dashed himself, ready to counter attack. However, the damage taken from Laxus' attacks was too great, which greatly slowed him down and thus allowed the Dragon Slayer to block the strike, who was now past his one second of being completely frozen. Laxus delivered a swift hook to Arthur's face and kicked him in the gut, pushing him away. Time resumed again and Laxus felt the additional weight leave his shoulders.

An exchange of strikes erupted between both men, neither giving the other a chance to prevail. Arthur tried to sneak up a knife attack in-between each punch and kick, but Laxus' was already prepared for that and successfully predicted each of his slashes. Arthur then landed a punch on Laxus' liver and froze him in place for a moment, which he used to strike his heart with his palm. Laxus felt wind leaving his lungs once again, with Arthur unloading his strikes all over his body. The Dragon Slayer could only put up his guard and block them, his arms hurting more and more with each attack.

Arthur then tripped Laxus and chopped his neck, making him drop down to the floor. He then lifted his leg as high as he could and dropped his heel down where the blonde's head was, his feet making impact with the ground, as Laxus rolled out of the way at the last moment. He then got back up and tackled the elder with his weight, pushing him back. He then dashed forward and landed a right straight on Arthur's nose, making it bleed. He followed through with a left straight, but Arthur sidestepped out of the way and grabbed a hold of Laxus' extended arm, before smashing his fist into his elbow, crippling it.

Laxus grunted out in pain, his left hand now useless and then growled at the feeling of Arthur's elbow on his nose, who smashed it into his face and pushed him back. Laxus landed on his back and noticed a knife flying in his direction. He quickly put up his broken arm and used it to block the blade, which planted itself deep into his forearm. The blonde then rolled back and jumped away, pulling the blade out in the meantime. He threw it back at its owner, who shot it down with a knife of his own and bent his right arm backwards, which caused Arthur to stop in his tracks. Lightning crackled in his right fist, his magic power rising, as he motioned a punch, aimed at his opponent..

 ** _LIGHTNING DRAGON'S BREAKDOWN FIST!_**

Arthur braced himself for the strike, but nothing happened. Confused, he looked over at Laxus, who was currently smirking.

"Just kidding."

He then lifted his fist up in the air and aimed it at the ceiling, before yelling out. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!"

 ** _RAGING BOLT!_**

A giant lighting descended upon Arthur from above him, catching him by suprise and making him take the full effect of the attack. He yelled out from pain, numbness and impact of the strike, his body completely covered by yellow electric currents. Just when the attack finally calmed down, Arthur buckled over in his spot, unable to take a breath. Not giving the elder even a shadow of a chance to recover, Laxus quickly closed the distance, his fist pulled back, covered in lightning.

 ** _LIGHTNING DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

The Dragon Slayer drove his fist into Arthur's chest, making him yell out in pain. At the very same moment, Laxus felt stinging pain in his left side, a knife sticking out of his stomach, left by Arthur at the very moment of impact. Gritting his teeth, he flexed his shoulder one last time and blew the elder back, smoke coming out of his struck area, lightning crackling all over his body. Just like that, Arthur fell onto his back, defeated and unconscious.

Laxus breathed heavily, feeling the oxygen spread throughout his body. His entire body hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced in his life, a small pool of blood forming by his feet from all his sustained injuries. Not fighting it any longer, he let himself fall onto his back, his tense muscles relaxing for the first time in a long while.

"To think I had to resort to sneak attacks..." he wheezed out to himself. "I'm so glad I haven't met him 10 years ago."

He then looked over at the ceiling, his thought with his fellow Dragon Slayer.

"If number 2 was that much of a monster, I don't want to think what sort of a beast is at the top. Be careful, Salamander."

 **To be continued in Chapter 12.5: The Beast's Howling Part 2.**

* * *

 **And that's it for now. Part 2 will be out in next couple days, so stay tuned for that. As always, I'll leave some trivia to help you understand the story better.**

 **\- The Pillar attack is actually Laxus'. He used it during his fight with Natsu, who then picked it up and used it with his own magic. One of the major points of this story, is that I try to make my characters learn from defeats, or tough situations. This attack saved Natsu's life in his fight with Grigol(well, unless he used both of his elements, then he'd have destroyed him without it)**

 **\- The reason Erza is so open about fighting Jellal is because my Erza is less trusting. Since Jellal is a Commandment, he's a part of this whole cruelty, thus making him her enemy, regardless of their previous connections. Their fight will be the main focus of the second part of this chapter, so look forward to that!**

 **Ok, I'm off to bed. If there are any mistaked(there will be, let's be honest) I'll fix them tomorrow. It's almost 4AM here, I need my beauty sleep. As always, let me know your thoughts in reviews, I promise, I answer as many as I can. Cya in few days!**


	13. The Beast's Howling Part 2

**Hello! Part 2 of Chapter 12, coming right up! This chapter will be focused mostly on Erza. It also contains alot of fighting, which is also a little different than my usual stuff. You should be feeling some vibes from the canon, but don't worry, I tried to keep the bad stuff to a minimum. Without draggin this AN out, enjoy the chapter!  
**

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor**

Erza lost count how many times she'd been rolling on the ground by now, but the number was definitely unpleasant. She quickly got up on all fours and slid on the ground, her feet and hands leaving marks on the floor. She grit her teeth and launched herself at Jellal once again, picking up her fallen weapons on the way.

Her body was covered in bruises, blood dripping from the corner of her lip down her chin. Ever since she blocked Jellal's **Grand Chariot** , she was unable to reach the man, even in her fastest armor. Still clad in her **Flight Armor** , she raised her blades high above her head and struck down, only to have him step out of the way once again. Expecting it, she quickly turned on her feet, shifting her weight along the way and dashed to her right, where Jellal was. She thrust her blade at his face, but that was only a feint. Midway through her push, she stepped in as fast as she could, closing the distance between them and raised her elbow upwards and to the side, turning the thrust into a horizontal swing. The Commandment saw right through it and ducked right underneath her arm, aiming a punch at her stomach. She blocked it with her left sword and quickly turned her right arm by 180 degrees. She threw a short, quick strike aimed at his left collarbone, only to feel her arm being grabbed by the forearm, with Jellal successfully stopping the strike. The man smirked and grabbed Erza's other arm with his right arm. He forcefully spread her arms to the sides and kicked her in the stomach, making her gasp. Erza slid on the ground once again, her eyes closed from the pain. After few meters she stopped sliding and opened her eyes, only to see Jellal's cruel smile in front of her face, along with his open palm.

Jellal hit Erza with yet another wave of his green energy, sending the woman flying. This time, however, she managed to keep her grip on one of her weapons, which she stabbed the floor with, greatly reducing her momentum. Once she stopped sliding, she took a deep breath and pulled the blade out, unsure of what to do.

"You're growing desperate, Erza." mocked Jellal. "After your earlier display, I got my hopes up, but it appears I was a fool to expect anything exciting."

"Shut your mouth." growled Erza.

Jellal laughed at her words in amusement, angering Erza even further. "Don't be like that. It's a fated reunion, you could at least be civil enough to not bark at me. Or did Salamander's company rub off on you already? You two did seem pretty close back there."

"Silence!" roared Erza and threw her weapon at Jellal, who ducked right under it. During this distraction, she Requipped into her **Heaven's Wheel Armor** and took off into the air, hovering few meters above the ground. Behind her circled dozens of swords, all of them aimed at Jellal.

"Dance, my blades!" she screamed and aimed her primary sword at the man, her blades taking off in his direction,

Jellal simply smiled at the sight and watched the blades fly in his direction.

 _ **METEOR!**_

In a flash, he vanished from his spot, all the sword planting themselves in his earlier spot. Thanks to her position, Erza could easily follow his movements and already prepared to strike again. Predicting the his movements, she sent another couple weapons in his direction, only to have him change his direction in a moment. Jellal started to fly from a wall to a wall, from ceiling to the floor, bouncing around the floor like a ball. His body left multiple trails of green energy behind, his speed increasing to levels unknown to Erza. Feeling desperation grasp her heart, she strained her senses to find him and threw her remaining swords where he was about to land.

Jellal got to a wall and as soon as he turned around, he noticed seven swords centimeters before his face. His eyes widened a little in shock, but he managed to get out of the way just in time, the only damage sustained a small cut on his cheek, right beneath his previous one. Feeling small sense of irritation, he turned in Erza's direction, only to see her flying at him at full speed.

 _ **BLUMENBLATT!**_

The knight slashed at Jellal with both of her swords, both of them missing their target. Jellal quickly got behind Erza and leaned in so close his mouth was right by her ear.

"Speaking of fated reunions, I've got something to tell you."

Before Erza could react, she was kicked in the back, a scream of pain escaping out of her mouth. She crashed into the ground, a giant dustcloud forming where she landed. Jellal slowly hovered back to the ground and dispelled his magic.

"Truth to be told, I was hoping our meeting would be of a much bigger scale." said Jellal, as he watched Erza get out from beneath the debris. She panted heavily and Requipped back to her **Heart Kreuz Armor** , dizziness controlling her body.

"It's actually quite shocking, that you haven't asked me what happened to Simon, Sho and the others." continued Jellal with a fake sadness on his face.

That seemed to have gotten Erza's attention, her eyes widening at the sound of the names of their friends. "Where are they?! What happened to them?!"

Jellal closed his eyes. "You see, after you've abandoned us, they were quite taken by it. It was hard to tell them the truth, but it was the only right choice. After all, all we had was each other. We couldn't afford to lie to one another."

Erza clenched her fists in anger, but listened regardless.

"We've been together for a while, before we were found by Commandments. Naturally, they wanted to put us back in our cells, but they noticed my potential, and offered me a place in their ranks. At first, I was hesitant, but after learning of their plans, I couldn't resist. The others, however, were not too fond of me joining the Commandments. However, after a while they complied, and we were allowed to stay together."

Erza's hands were clenched so tight they hurt, her knuckles white. She dreaded hearing the rest, but couldn't help but listen, her lips sealed.

Jellal continued his story. "We then started to travel with the Commandments, from village to village, from town to town. With each day, I could see they were becoming more and more disapproving of their methods. And so did the guild. I was tasked with taking care of them, and believe me Erza, I tried. But then, one day, during one of our usual "visits", in his sudden outburst of compassion and righteousness, Sho spoke one word too much."

A vein popped on Erza's temple, her gauntlets dented from her grip. "What happened to them?" she asked quietly.

A sinister smile grew on Jellal's face as he answered. "Well, let's just say they've become the nourishment for this place. They've returned to their rightful homes."

Upon hearing these words, Erza's scowl slowly turned into a face representing pure despair, her eyes growing wide, her left eye tearing up. Her hands relaxed, emptiness filling her head.

"Don't make such a face, Erza." said Jellal. "I should be the one grieving here. After all, I was the one who had to watch over them, as they worked to their absolute end on fulfilling my dream. I will never be able to thank them for their sacrifice."

Erza grit her teeth so hard, she broke one of them and threw herself at the man in pure fury.

"Jellal~!" she roared as loud as she could, her voice breaking half-way through the scream, her throat sore and burning. She quickly Requipped back into her Flight Armor, with Jellal already back in his Meteor, ready to dodge out of the way.

However, much to his suprise, instead of her usual weapons, Erza summoned a giant sword, twice as big as her. She grasped it hard and lifted it above her head, before bringing it down onto Jellal. The man jumped back, with the strike hitting his previous spot. The sword struck the ground with enormous force, breaking the floor like a twig. Two, giant chunks of the floor rose up from the ground, joining together, forming a big ball made of debris.

"You shouldn't destroy this place too much." taunted Jellal. "After all, this is your true home. This is where you truly belong."

"Curse you, you bastard!" she yelled out in response, his words getting to her.

Erza shifted her gaze back at Jellal and charged at him once again. Despite the heavy weapon in her arms, she was without a doubt faster than before, which caused Jellal way more trouble to dodge than he expected. She swung the blade at him once again, but this time, instead of distancing himself, he flew back to her and put his hand on her stomach.

Erza was blown away by another wave, crashing into the ground. She quickly rolled back and slid on her feet and knees. As soon as she stopped, she slammed the ground with her left hand and summoned a blade identical to the one she held in her right hand. With one sword in each hand, she dashed at The Heavens once again, making him slightly frightened of the sight before him. She swung her right sword at an angle, missing his neck, as he stepped to his left. She then slashed at him horizontally with the same blade, making him jump backwards and followed him by bringing her left sword down, only to have him dodge and get behind her. Not missing his movements, Erza followed through with another slash with her right hand, which he dodged once again. She then threw a right headkick at his head, which he ducked right under. Using this opportunity, Jellal used Erza's lowered guard as a chance and kicked her in lower back, making her fly towards the ground. Both of the blades slid out of her grip, as they fell to the ground, both leaving cracks in the floor after landing.

White light blinded Jellal, as Erza Requipped into another armor. Clad in her **Black Wing Armor** , she threw herself at the man, blindly hacking at him with her sword.

"Your movements have become predictable. Anger dulls the blade, haven't you heard that? I guess those seven years spent in that delusional bubble of freedom you call a guild were nothing but a waste. " taunted Jellal, after dodging her thrust.

"Silence!" she growled back and continued her rush. Jellal, fed up with her persistence, caught her sword arm and pulled it towards himself. A second later, he felt dull pain in his abdomen, with Erza's foot planted deep into his stomach. Numb pain spreading across his lower area, he let go of her, which allowed her to rip her arm out of his grip and slash him across chest, this time deeper than previously. Blood gashed out of the cut, as Jellal started to fall onto the ground, with Erza punching his face as hard as she could, which send him flying towards the ground. Erza quickly started following him, dropping along with him, willing to finish him off.

Jellal grit his teeth in anger and escaped Erza's thrust. He flew around her and smashed his feet into her back, kicking her with both legs with incredible force. Erza smashed into the ground, pieces of debris flying all over the area. Few seconds later, a giant ball of fire made its way towards Jellal, with Erza clad in her Flame Empress Armor standing in the crater. The Commandment extended his arm out and caught the attack with his palm, before squeezing his hand, breaking the ball into multiple little flames, that splashed all over the floor. He then extended his arm out once again, pointing it at Erza.

 ** _PLEIADES!_**

Six rays of light shot in Erza's direction, blowing up the crater she resided in. Before Jellal had a chance to wonder whether she was still alive, she shot right out of the dustcloud, clad in her **Flight Armor** once again. However, instead of attacking with it, she used it to close the distance between her and Jellal and quickly Requipped once again.

 ** _REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!_**

With only mere few feet between her and her opponent, the knight summoned her most powerful armor and swung her giant mace at his figure, relentlessly bombarding him with a barrage of attacks. Jellal dodged all of them, at the same time carefully watching Erza's movements. After a short while, he noticed his chance and sidestepped to his side, passing right by Erza's weapon. He then grabbed her face with his right hand and used his magic to push her away, smashing her into the ground. Erza quickly forced her way out of the debris, smashing them into pieces, but did not attack back, instead panting heavily in her spot.

"Seems like your little tantrum took away too much of your stamina. You're barely standing on your feet." noticed Jellal.

Erza's hateful glare was his only response, which amused him dearly.

"You know, Erza, I've heard a certain rumor about you that intrigues me so much, I simply can't resist but test it." he said, an evil smile glued to his face.

Jellal dashed at Erza, who brought her mace up in response. She brought it down onto his head, only to have him stop in his tracks just before he was met with the weapon. The mace crashed into the floor, and Jellal resumed his charge, quickly getting close to Erza. He kneed her in the stomach, taking the air out of her body and sent her flying, her weapon left behind, stuck in the ground. She flew through the air, before feeling something hit her back, with Jellal quickly getting behind her and kicking her just above her bottom. She yelled out in pain, before feeling an arm wrap itself around her neck, her right hand forcefully grabbed and bent back, pressed against her lower back. Jellal secured the struggling knight in a tight hold, and leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"I've heard you're never seen without your armor. Now, I'm not in position to question ones choice of attire, but I suppose an armor is not an outfit meant to be worn everywhere, even in bed, now, is it?"

Jellal reached out to Erza's chest and put his hand on her breastplate. "Are you, perhaps, afraid of being without an armor?"

He then lit his hand up and pulled it downwards, breaking a large piece of Erza's armor, exposing her breasts clad in a sports bra, along with her abdominals. Erza froze at the sight of her broken armor, her mouth agape, her voice stuck in her throat, her eyes widened and terrified.

"I guess the rumors are true." sang Jellal into her ear and took a hold of her left arm, forcefully stripping it off armor.

At the sight of her exposed left arm and chest, a horrified, desperate cry left Erza's mouth, one she hasn't heard in a long time. She tensed her whole body up and forced her way out of Jellal's grip, much to his suprise. She quickly turned around and smashed her fist into his jaw, making him take couple steps back, while she herself jumped away, already Requipping into a whole, new armor.

Jellal slowly reached out to his cut lip and swiped the blood off of it with his thumb. He then smirked. "Who would have thought the great Titania had such a weakness."

Erza shivered in her spot, fear filling her entire being. She watched him slowly pace towards her, at the same time feeling her body step back with each of his steps against her will.

"Stay away." she breathed out, as she watched him pick up his pace in horror.

Jellal simply smirked at her panic and continued to walk towards her, scaring her even further. Without any kind of a warning, Erza yelled out in terror and threw herself at the man, all of her instincts telling her to attack.

"I see my job is half-way done. Now, all that's left is to break your body." said Jellal, before meeting her with a charge of his own. His fist made contact with her sword, a powerful shockwave emitting from the clash. The man easily pushed her weapon to the side and struck her in the abdomen with his fist. Much to his suprise, she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him by it, striking his jaw with her fist. He quickly recovered and responded with a punch of his own, dealing much more damage than she did. Blood flowed down her face from her nose, as Jellal immediately followed through with a left hook to her right cheekbone, with a right body blow coming right afterwards.

Erza's body was bombarded with a barrage of punches, most of them hitting her where her guard could not protect her. Her **Heart Kreuz Armor** was beginning to break under the onslaught, with Jellal making sure she didn't have enough time to change. The man pulled his arm downwards, preparing an uppercut, however, instead of throwing a regular punch, he he twisted his fist vertically, greatly narrowing the strike. His fist squeezed its way right in-between Erza's guard, striking her in her chin with enough force to cause her feet to lose contact with the ground, her head flying upwards so hard her neck hurt. The Heavens stepped in and grabbed her collar, only to then rip the broken breastplate off of her body, exposing her vulnerable chest once again, before punching her in the gut, making sure his fist was thoroughly coated in his magic. The redhead was blown back, blood leaving her mouth. She slid on the ground and bent over, numb pain taking over her body, rendering her unable to breathe. She dropped to her knees and clutched her stomach, her ears picking up the sound of Jellal's steps. She lifted her head up to look at him, which she soon realised was a mistake, terror filling every fiber of her being once again.

Fear taking over her reason, she threw herself at Jellal once again, Requipping back into **Black Wing Armor**. She raised her sword up high above her head and swung it downwards, screaming while doing so.

* * *

"Erza!"

Makarov's loud voice echoed across the guildhall, startling everyone inside of the building. No matter how many times it happened, it always sent shivers down their spines.

"Erza!" Makarov called out once again, this time pacing across the guild, searching for the girl with his eyes. He knew his yelling was most likely in vain, but he tried anyway. Much to his slight suprise, with the corner of the eye he spotted her.

A 17 year old Erza sat by the bar counter, her back turned to Makarov. Her hand was locked on her mug, which she then raised up and drank from. Lisanna, who was behind the counter, continued to shift her worried eyes between Erza and Makarov, as she nervously continued to wipe an already clean plate.

Makarov locked his eyes on the knight and sighed gently through his nose. "Erza, to my office. Now." With that said, he made his way upstairs. Erza gently tiled her head in his direction, not in a hurry to follow him. She raised her mug once again and emptied it with one chug. She then slowly slid off her chair and followed the elder, who was already in his room.

Couple minutes later, Erza found herself sitting right before Makarov, his eyes glued to her face, his finger repeatedly tapping the desk. The girl was looking to the side, not willing to meet his eyes. He just wanted it to be dealt with.

Makarov increased his tapping and then, all of a sudden, stopped.

"I don't even know where to begin." he said after a long pause.

"Neither do I." shot back Erza, still not looking at him.

The Master ignored her little remark and continued to stare at her, gathering his thoughts. Once he decided the right order, he spoke out.

"I'm tired, Erza."

Erza finally looked at him and arched an eyebrow. "That's fine, we can talk tomorrow-"

"I'm tired of you."

The knight's eyes widened in slight shock. She's been chewed up by the elder many times, but these words were perhaps the harshest she's ever heard, despite their apparent innocence.

"First of all, I'm genuinely suprised to see you. I thought I wouldn't get a chance to meet you for yet another three months. Having you here on time is like an early Christmas gift." he continued.

Erza sighed at this remark. "I was out, doing some jobs. Besides, Gildarts is away from the guild for years at a time, and yet he's never confronted about it."

"That's because his missions are something only he can pull off, and you are nowhere near his level." answered Makarov, earning himself an angry look from Erza. "As for your jobs, I am well aware of them. In fact, I've just come back from a Council meeting, dedicated solely to your person."

The redhead tensed up upon hearing these words. That did no go unnoticed by Makarov, who continued. "Yes, Erza. While you're somewhere off in the world, taking jobs from the underground, sleeping in the mud and dealing with things even I can't get my head around, I am being dragged across the country to explain your unusual activities."

"I don't sleep in mud." retorted childishly Erza. Deep down, she knew he was right, but her pride prevented her from admitting it.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "You reek, child. When was the last time you've taken this damn thing off?" he asked, pointing at her armor.

Erza looked down. Her armor was stained and dirty, covered in mud, dust and other stuff she couldn't recognize. Her skirt was slightly torn and flithy, just like her armor. Her hair, that reached just past her shoulders was stiff and unpleasant in touch. Only now did she notice her poor state.

"Then I'll take a bath." she said quietly.

"While wearing it, I presume?" peered the elder.

Now she was pissed. Few months ago, she made a mistake of taking a bath with other females from the guild. Her attempt at trying to socialize failed short, and now it seemed that one of them shared it with Makarov, with Mira being the biggest suspect.

"It's none of you business." she growled through her teeth.

Makarov continued to look at her with his old eyes. "You're right. It's not."

He then dropped from his chair and walked to the window.

"While on the meeting, I had to listen to the Council's ideas, regarding what to do with you. You're being accused of breaking the law against illegal jobs, attacking Dark Guilds without their consent, starting fights with other mages, and dealing with the world of Underground. Then again, the main topic of the meeting was your rampage in one of the Dark Guilds. Seven dead mages and ten others crippled beyond treatment, color me impressed. Keep that up, and I will be stipped off my title og a Wizard Saint and thrown into a prison cell right next to yours."

His tone was far away from impressed, pure anger squeezed into every single word. Hearing no response, he continued his monologue.

"Truth to be told, I was to be accompanied by a battalion of soldiers, ready to take you in by force. I almost had to kneel in front of them to make them give you one last chance. They even threatened to disband Fairy Tail, all because of what you do in your free time. Your actions are dragging the whole guild down."

Erza listened to him, completely not guilty of what she's heard, or at least that's what she looked like on the surface. Hearing the consequences of her actions made her feel uneasy, to say the least. Still, she decided to cover it up with a nonchalant face. He must have picked it up, because he turned around and faced her with a stern expression, his voice becoming more serious. "But I'm done with it. We've had this conversation multiple times. I doubt anything will change now. You've received yet another, final chance - use it however you see it fit. Go back to your new home and see yourself on the wanted posters, or stop being caged in by your past and move on."

Erza clenched her teeth in anger. "I am not caged in by my past."

"To be fair, I cannot blame you." continued Makarov, ignoring her. "No one would come out of what you've been through unscathed. But you're letting it poison your future as well, thus making you a slave of your own past."

"I'm not a slave!" yelled Erza, as she stood up from her chair. She pierced the elder with a hateful glare, her chest raising and falling rapidly.

"No?" he asked, his eyebrows raised. "You sure as hell act like one."

Erza kicked his desk in fury, not impressing the elder by the slightest. She had reached her boiling point.

"What the hell can you know about it?"

"Absolutely nothing. I am unable to put myself in your position." replied calmly the Master. "But I'm pretty sure trying to kill yourself by being overloaded with work is not a good way to deal with it."

"Working is the only way I can cut myself away from my memories!" she roared. "I have to stay busy! Jobs sent to the guild are not enough, I have to spend days, weeks, sometimes even months on one request, otherwise I can't focus! Every time I have to take my armor off, I feel their eyes and hands all over me, I can hear their whispers, I can see the tower itself! Every time I look into the mirror, I always look at my right eye, and I immediately relive that pain, and the joy it brought to these monsters! If I could control it, if I could prevent it, I sure as hell would! Do you have any idea how hard it is, being reminded of your worst nightmares on every step?!"

She panted heavily, finally getting some air. Makarov continued to stare deep into her eyes, which only baited her to talk more.

"I can't deal with people! Every time I have to talk to them, every time my eyes meet theirs, I feel like they're judging me. I can't trust anyone, every time I am around unfamiliar people, I tense up and await an attack. Even if I wanted to talk to anyone about my problems, I simply can't! If they learned more about me, they'd grow to hate me."

"No, they wouldn't." threw in Makarov, earning himself a confused look from Erza. "Gray and Mirajane know, and yet they have never treated you any different than usual, now, have they?"

The knight's eyes widened. "You've...told them?" she muttered.

The elder niodded. "Yes, I have. Many years ago. Did you feel them ever treating you worse than others? Making fun of you, trying to humiliate you?"

Erza lowered her head. She's been constantly bickering with Mira, to the point where their arguments heated up to the levels so extreme even, the sharpest tongued guildmates covered their ears, trying to escape the insults and curses that escaped the mouths of both females. But even when then, she never brought Erza's past, not even once.

She shook her head in response, which seemed to please Makarov.

"All of us have our secrets, Erza. Some are small and trivial, others huge and at times impossible to contain. Mira and Gray belong to the latter. Trust me, you have way more in common with both of them than you think."

Erza's eyes widened a little. Now that she thought about it, she didn't know too much about them, just what she's experienced in the guild.

"You have no idea how much they wish they could help you." said Makarov, in a much gentler tone than before. "I have to deal with Gray's questions regarding your whereabouts on daily basis. Not only him, many others are worried about you. You have much more allies than you think."

With that said, guilt started to pull on Erza's stomach, as she took her eyes off of his in shame, unable to look at them.

"Why?" she asked, her voice breaking.

Makarov smiled. "Because we're a family. That's what family does - helps each other."

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her face. She raised her hand up to cover it, but she couldn't fool Makarov, no matter how hard she tried.

"How can I just forget it?" she asked through tears. "How can I just forget about it and move on?"

"You can't." replied shortly the elder. He walked around the desk and stood beside the redhead, who looked at him with her puffy eyes.

"But what you can do, is stop letting it control you. No matter what we do, we cannot change the past. It will always be a part of us. What you're doing right now, is letting it sneak into your future as well, unnecessarily polluting your life, making you your own prisoner. Fight it. Push it back. Put up a wall that separates the current you from what happened 5 years ago. Seal it away and start anew."

He then carefully put his hand on her knee, afraid she will immediately escape his touch like she used to for years. To his pleasant suprise, she stayed in her spot, letting him soothe her.

"You are currently Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. Not the scared, powerless little girl from years back. You are a beautiful, young, strong woman, surrounded by friends and a place you can call home. You just have to open your eyes, and see it for yourself."

The elder then raised his hand up to her face and gently grabbed left right cheek. His eyes grew more serious, as he drilled in hole in Erza's brown irises.

"Now, answer me. Do you want to spend the rest of your life alone in a prison cell?"

Makarov chose this question on purpose, fully aware of the weight it carried. Despite painful memories filling her head, Erza clenched her fists and answered,

"No."

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life afraid of your own reflection in the mirror?"

"No." Erza's tone was becoming slightly rougher with each answer. This pleased Makarov, as that was his goal.

"Do you want to stay the way you are, caged in by your own self, continuously ruining your life and future?"

"No!" she yelled, however, there was not a trace of anger in her voice. Only determination.

"Who are you?!" now, Makarov's voice was raised as well.

Erza took a moment to answer. She realised everything Makarov said today was planned and meant to help her. She looked at her armored hands and made them glow with white light, her gauntlets being sent back to her dimension. She looked at her scars, fear trying to creep its way into her head once again, but this time, she was ready. She clenched her fists and sniffed with her nose, pushing it back for the first time in a long while. What she's been trying to do for years was achieved with one pep talk from someone other than herself. Realising how foolish she was for pushing other people away, and feeling a new sense of courage and determination, she wiped her eyes off with her arm and looked at Makarov with a strong look, one she'd be later famous for.

"Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail."

Makarov grinned widely. "That's what I wanted to hear."

He took his hand off her face and walked back to his chair. "Now, be a good kid and don't force me to travel across Fiore to meet up with those fools from the Council ever again. I'm not particularly fond of them."

Erza couldn't help but gently chuckle at his remark. She shared his fondness of the Council. The sight of Erza's smile was one of the rarest and most beautiful sights Makarov had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile as well.

"Now, then, you can go back downstairs. But before you do, I have to give you an order. Two, actually."

Erza arched an eyebrow.

"Form a team, preferably with Gray. We have to kill your habit of picking up illegal jobs, and also make him stop nagging me. I was ready to smack the poor boy few days ago, only so he would leave me alone. And for the love of God, take a normal bath. My nose is starting to hurt."

Erza snorted into her hand. She took one last look at her wrist and summoned back her gauntlets.

"I'll see what I can do." she said with a small smile.

* * *

Erza rolled on the ground once again, pieces of her armor leaving her body on the way. She grunted from pain and began to stand up, her body heavy and sore. She looked at her sorry, stripped state and Requipped from her broken **Black Wing Armor** into her **Flight Armor**.

" _Why am I remembering it now?_ " she wondered in thoughts. " _Am I trying to subconsciously tell something to myself?_ "

She watched approaching Jellal, her eyes half closed from fatigue. She was so tired, she couldn't even bring herself to be scared anymore. Or maybe was it thanks to the memory? She genuinely had no idea.

"I think it's the right time we finished it, Erza." exclaimed Jellal. "Though you don't need to be too healthy for the ceremony, I can't have you dying on me. Stop resisting and accept your fate."

She couldn't help but simply watch him walk up to her, her head out of ideas. All of her armors were either damaged, or unfit to fight him. She closed her eyes, slowly accepting the defeat.

 _"Cut its head off."_

The knight felt her eyes shoot wide open, the words echoing in her mind. She reached out to the memory from two years ago, tying it up with the one from 30 minutes ago. Gears turning in her head, . her eyes growing wide in realisation, she finally realised her own problem, and understood what she had to do. She felt as if some sort of a block was lifted off her mind, revealing the obvious. She stood up and met Jellal's eyes with hers.

 _"We're both bound by our own demons."_

"No."

Erza's voice was stern and confident. Jellal stopped walking and arched an eyebrow at her sudden exclamation.

"No?"

"Just...no."

Unsure of what the woman was talking about, Jellal remained silent.

"For years, I've been terrified of what happened to me." she said to him. He looked at her with genuine confusion.

"Because of that, I hurt people who truly cared for me. I hurt people, who meant me absolutely no harm, but I treated their actions as a threat. I killed people, in my own, selfish outbursts of anger, aimed at something completely else. I was truly a living scum."

If Jellal was confused earlier, now he was just lost. He frowned at the knight. "What are you talking about?"

"But then, I received help. I was brought away from darkness and led on the right path, a path that I've been following ever since. At least, that's what I thought." Erza continued her monologue and looked at her hand.

"I've just realised I was lying to myself, again. I haven't changed, one bit. I still let my past dictate my future, my actions, my way of living. Like you said, I was living in a delusional bubble I called freedom. But...no more."

Erza relaxed her fist and white light started to slowly cover her entire body.

"I refuse to be a slave to my own past for any longer."

Erza's stockings and shorts started to change into a pair of red pants, touched with flames on both sides of her pantlegs, her feet naked.

"I refuse to let it control me any further."

Her armbands disappeared along with her breastplate, replaced by plain bandages wrapped around her chest, her hair tied in a ponytail.

"I refuse to be afraid of who I am."

Her two, short swords disappeared, a katana forming on her right hand in their place. The light dispelled, showing Erza in her true form. There was not a single piece of armor on her body, her clothes light and thin. She looked at her figure, weird feeling grasping her chest. However, instead of subduing to it, she grabbed it by the throat and smothered it. She took a deep breath and locked her eyes with Jellal's.

 _"Kill this demon. Cut its head off. Got it?"_

"I reject my past. I reject this place. I reject my demons. And I reject you, Jellal."

Jellal snorted at her words. "You can't just simply say you reject what's already a part of you, Erza. Struggle all you want, but you will always be a slave. You will always belong to this place, just how I'll always be a part of you."

"You're right. I can't just say I reject these things. First, I have to fight for it. But you're also mistaken." She took a fighting stance and pointed her blade in his direction. "The Jellal I used to know is long gone. He will always remain in my heart, whereas you will perish, along with this place and all the other Commandments."

Jellal's smirk was quickly knocked off his face. Feeling anger build up in his chest, he breathed through his nose. "We'll see."

Both mages dashed at each other at the same time, with Jellal having the slight advantage in speed. Erza put her blade up against her waist and slashed horizontally at the man, who jumped over her. She quickly turned on her feet and followed him, much to his suprise. She caught him while still in the air and slashed him across his left shoulder, his blood splashing onto her face. He grimaced in pain and responded with a kick to her stomach, which caused her to gasp. He kicked her away from himself and flew upwards, trying to keep his distance. He wasn't sure how it was possible, but her current form was the fastest and strongest she's shown him in this fight.

He put his right hand on top of his left, seven magic circles appearing above him.

 ** _GRAND CHARIOT!_**

Seven powerful beams of energy fell onto Erza, resulting in a giant explosion. Dust covered Jellal's vision, as he searched around the area, expecting her strike. He didn't have to wait for long, as something cut through the smoke, with Erza flying in his direction like a missile. He got out of the way of her slash, as she started to fall. She turned around in the air and planted her feet on the wall, before kicking it and launching herself at the man once again. He slipped out of the way again, but this time, he quickly responded by planting his fist deep into her stomach. Or so he thought, as Erza caught the blow with her left hand and headbutted him once again, causing them both to fall to the ground. As soon as she got up, she picked up her weapon and dashed at The Heavens, who replied with multiple green beams. She stopped in her tracks and started to deflect each and every single one of them, before smacking the last one into the ground before her, causing an explosion that covered her figure in dust. Using it as a cover, she quickly run around it, her figure out of Jellal's field of vision and dashed from the side, slashing at his neck. He saw it, however, and leaned his head to the side, the blade cutting few strands of his hair.

Completely fed up with this fight, Jellal stopped restraining himself for the sake of his plan and launched a barrage of hits onto Erza. The woman blocked majority of them, but shortly after, her defenese became weaker, with more punches and kicks landing on her already sore body. Jellal smirked sadistically in triumph, sure of his victory, as he continued to pound Erza like a sandbag, before feeling his head being blown upwards. Erza kicked him underneath his chin with all her strength, turning the insides of his mouth into a bloody mess. Fury taking over his mind, he retaliated with a right hook, which was guarded. In exchange, he received a right cross from the knight. Both mages looked at each other, before engaging in a bloody exchange of hits, neither giving the other time to think. Erza ducked underneath Jellal's kick to her middle section and tripped his leg, making him fall onto his back. He responded by kicking her in the face from beneath her, which forced her to take few steps back. He rolled backwards and used his Meteor to fly straight into Erza, who grabbed him at the last second and slid on the ground, his body pressed against her stomach. She flexed her shoulders and back as hard as she could and lifted him off the ground, before smashing him into the surface with enough strength to make him cough up blood. She then kicked him in the side, which made him roll on the ground for few feet. With her sword right under her hand, she grabbed it and ran after him, ready to finish the fight.

"Enough!" roared Jellal and put his hand in front of her face. An explosion caused her to fly backwards, rocking her so hard she barely stayed conscious. Jellal stood up and glared at Erza with pure hatred in his eyes.

"This has carried on for far too long!" he yelled, before raising his hands and crossing them above his head. A black vortex started to form above his figure, all the stones, pieces of debris and Erza's armors flying in its direction. Even the shadows started to bend towards it, absorbed by the disgusting magic.

Erza stood up, her body reaching its limits. Still, she grabbed her blade with both hands and placed it near her left hip, as she focused all of her remaining magic power in one point.

"I'll make sure to reunite you with your friends in hell, Erza!" screamed Jellal and threw his arms in her direction, with the woman dashing straight towards him and his spell.

 _ **ALTEARIS!**_

As soon as he brought his arms down, he felt dizziness take over his head, his vision becoming blurry. He started to fall onto his face, which forced him to extend his right foot to prevent himself from falling. Because of this distraction, his magic dispelled just before he could throw it.

"Blood loss?!" he wondered. He then looked up and felt blood freeze in his veins. Erza was mere centimeters away from him, her blade ready to strike.

"Be gone."

Erza dashed right past the man, her blade successfully slashing his stomach. Blood gashed out of the fresh wound onto the floor, as Jellal's body started to lean towards the floor, his consciousness slipping.

"Zeref..." he whispered, before meeting the ground with his face, as he fell, defeated.

The redhead panted heavily and put her blade down, her arms too heavy to be held up in the air for any longer. She turned around and looked at her former friend, a weird feeling filling her heart. She sent her blade away to her dimension and walked up to the man, ripping her pantleg on her way.

"Despite everything you've done, I won't kill you." she said to his unconscious figure. She turned him around onto his back and wrapped the cloth around his fresh wound, blocking the bleeding. "You will face justice for what you've done."

She then picked him up and threw him over her shoulder, which soon turned out to be too much what she bargained for. Still, she holstered him on her shoulder and made her way through the ruins of the sixth floor, her mind focused on getting back to her friends.

"All of you, please be safe."

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Christina**

Wendy wiped her forehead, finally done with treating everyone on the ship. She felt a little drained, but her training appeared to alreadyu bear fruit. Proud of herself, she gave herself a small grin. She then looked at Hibiki, who was desperately trying to reach Gray with his magic.

"No use." sighed irritated male, before smashing his fist into the control panel of Christina. "He's either somehow blocking me from reaching him, or he's dead."

Wendy looked at him horrified.

"Please, don't say anything like that!" she shuddered.

Hibiki looked at her with suprise and frowned sadly. "Forgive me. I'm just frustrated I let him go back in there. If anything happens to him, it's my fault."

Suddenly, a weird sound reached the ears of everyone present on the ship. Hibiki quickly get off his chair and ran out to another room. Few seconds later, he brought a communication lacrima back into the room and placed in on the table.

"Hello?" called out Hibiki.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" answered a familiar voice. The transmission was of really bad quality, with the picture barely recognizable.

"Yes, this is Hibiki of Blue Pegasus. Who is there?"

"Oh, Hibiki! Looks like we finally got through! I swear to God, these devices are getting worse and worse as time goes by."

Hibiki and Wendy's eyes widened in joy upon recognizing the voice.

"Master Makarov?!"

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Luppi threw himself to the side, dodging another wave of water. He panted heavily and started to run towards the exit, something he's been trying to for a while now. Before he could even get enough speed, he was forced to duck under several blades made out of water.

At this point, he wasn't even trying to fight back, his mind focused solely on what was happening in the Council and running away. And he sure as hell did not have good news.

 ** _WATER LOCK_**!

For the fourth time this day, he's found himself trapped in a ball of water. He quickly looked at Juvia, who dispelled the trap seconds later. Luppi broke his control over her and couldn't help the wave of nausea that hit him, causing him to vomit once again. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and started to run away once again.

His path was closed by a giant axe, with Taurus smashing the ground before him. Lucy walked out from behind her spirit, sealing his escape route. Behind him was Juvia, also cutting off his secondary option. Both women surrounded the Commandment, leaving him at their mercy.

"Give up. You have nowhere to go." said Juvia.

Luppi sent her a hateful glare in response.

 _"Luppi. Answer me."_

A voice echoed in his head, making him pale from fear in a matter of a second.

 _"Yes, Master?"_ he answered.

 _"I have captured Salamander. Retreat back to the top floor immediately."_

Luppi's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. The timing could not have been worse.

 _"I am currently trying to get back to you, Master. There are some difficulties, however. It may take me a whilw to reach you."_

For a moment, silence was his only answer.

 _"Retreat back at all cost. That is an order."_

Shivers went down Luppi's spine, but Silva's words filled him up with a weird sense of courage.

 _"As you wish, Master."_

Luppi pulled out his knife and looked at Lucy, whose eyes became empty once again. He then turned around and threw his weapon at Juvia, at the same time running towards Lucy. The blonde forced gate closure on Taurus, which allowed Luppi to run past her without any problems. His knife flew right through Juvia's head, her body turned into water. She chased after him, not willing to let him escape.

After running for several meters, Luppi felt something wrapping itself around his neck, with Lucy capturing him with her whip once again.

"Give it a rest already, you stupid bitch!" he growled and grabbed the whip. He pulled her towards him and punched her in the gut as hard as he could, making her gasp for air. He quickly turned around on his feet and continued his escape, only to see a wall of water form before him. Reaching his absolute limit, he slowly turned around, both women standing right beside each other, staring him down.

"Give up." repeated Juvia.

Luppi exhaled through his nose, veins popping on his forehead. "Screw it." he growled.

He put up both of his hands and took control over both Juvia and Lucy at the same time, much to their shock. Both women obediently grabbed each others throats and began squeezing as hard as they could, strangling each other.

"Our plans are already fucked anyway." breathed Luppi under his nose. "I might as well enjoy myself for a moment before the end."

"No. You won't."

The Mind quickly shot his head behind, shocked at the sound of the voice. He spotted Lucy, her fist retracted, as she struck him in the jaw with all her might, breaking his concentration. Both Juvia and "Lucy" relaxed, with the bluenette breathing loudly.

"You really need to stop making us go through things like this." whined Gemini in Lucy's voice. "It really hurts!"

"Them again?!" yelled Luppi, confused, furious and embarrassed to be fooled the same way twice. "When?!"

"When you turned your back on me a minute ago." replied Lucy.

Luppi spat onto the ground. "And you think I'm just gonna let you get away with it? You'll regret showing yourself!"

He then focused on the blonde, willing to take over her mind once again. Before he could do it, however, he was met with a furious Juvia blocking his view.

"Oh, no you don't!" she yelled, before pulling her arm back. She punched the teenager in the stomach before he could use his magic and started to push upwards, her water surrounding her arm.

 ** _WATER NEBULA!_**

Luppi's body was blown upwards by a giant helix of water, a scream of pain escaping his mouth. He limply flew in the air, before landing on the ground with his back, his last bits of consciousness leaving him. The Mind was defeated, no longer able to terrorize people with his disgusting magic any longer.

Despite their victory, neither of women could really celebrate. With their enemy finally subdued, they both dropped to their knees, letting the fear and despair they kept under their feet squeeze out.

"I can't stop shaking." whispered quietly Lucy. She looked at her hand, as it shook like jelly against her will. Right next to her was Juvia, who pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped them with her arms, trying to stop her shaking.

The aftereffects of Luppi's magic hit them harder than they expected. There was no need for words: they both understood each other perfectly.

After a short while, Juvia stood up and coughed up, clearing her throat. "Let's tie him up and join the others. I'm worried about them."

She then extended her hand in Lucy's direction. The blonde smiled gently and took it, allowing her friend to help her get up.

"Yes, let's do it."

* * *

 **5 minutes earlier, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor**

Erza was now walking through the fifth floor, with unconscious Jellal still on her shoulders. Her pace was slow, but steady. much to her suprise, considering the state she was in. She took a corner and felt her eyes widen in a pleasant suprise, with a familiar figure walking before her, someone holstered onto his back as well, with Arthur's limp figure dandling with each step he took..

"Laxus!" she called out to the man.

The Dragon Slayer jumped in his spot and slowly turned around, relieved to see the knight. "Yo. I see you're done as well?" he asked, noticing her baggage.

"Yes. But I couldn't just leave him there. Can't risk his escape."

Laxus didn't seem to buy this little excuse, but didn't mention it. "Yeah. Same here."

Both S-Class mages walked next to each other in silence for few minutes, before a voice echoed in Erza's mind.

 _"Hello? Erza-san?"_

The knight stopped in her tracks upon recognizing it. "Hibiki?! Did something happen? Are you okay?"

The man laughed defensively at her worried questions. _"Yes, we are perfectly fine. Gajeel-san and Mirajane-san are already on the ship, their injuries patched up, their lives no longer in danger. We've also retrieved all prisoners that were present in the tower after our arrival. They're weak, but their lives are not in danger."_

Erza smirked. She expected no less from her friends.

 _"Although, there is a small problem. Gray-san left the ship in a very weak and injured state. I'm afraid he's back in the tower, seeking revenge. He and Gajeel-san lost their battle with one of the Commandments."_

Erza's smile faded, though her expectations were not betrayed. When it came to Gray being reckless and stupid, he was second to none.

"Me and Laxus are done with our fights as well. _"_ said Erza. "We are currently heading towards Lucy and Juvia. Gray is bound to be somewhere around there as well. As for his opponent, we'll deal with her as soon as possible. All that's left is her, the man controlling the Chairman and their Master. Natsu is currently battling him on the top floor."

 _"I'm very pleased to hear that."_ Hibiki sighed in relief. _"And I think you will be pleased to hear, that the Chairman and the Council itself had been stopped! Master Makarov and Jura-san successfully stopped the launch of Etherion!"_

Erza could not describe the weight that was taken off her chest, even if she wanted to. She could simply breathe out in relief and smile dearly, with Laxus smirking right next to her.

"Way to go, old man." he said.

"That means we are no longer in danger. Thank you for sharing this with us, Hibiki. Make sure to let us know if anything changes." said Erza with a smile.

 _"The pleasure's all mine. I will await your arrival in the ship. Stay safe."_

Hibiki's voice gone out, meaning he cut the link. Erza adjusted Jellal's figure on her shoulders and looked at Laxus.

"Well then, shall we-"

All of a sudden, gravity around her increased, immediately making her back bend against her will. Her breath stopped in her throat, her eyes widening in confusion and shock, her body already familiar with this feeling. With the corner of her eye, she spotted Laxus, who was in similar position to her. The sudden outburst of magic power appeared to come from above, as it pulled the pair down towards the floor, suffocating them as well. Erza tried to keep her knees away from buckling under her weight, which came with great difficulty. Unsure of what was happening, she slowly looked at the ceiling, before picking up a strange sound with her ears. A sound that resembled something she's heard not too long ago, something she was truly scared of. A roar.

Before she could ask Laxus about it, she felt Jellal stir on her back, as he weakly chuckled to himself. She turned her head around to face him, a weak smile on his face, his mind still unconscious. Despite his sorry state, he was able to whisper one sentence.

"Looks like the beast is howling."

 **End of Chapter 12. To be continued in Chapter 13: The God.**

* * *

 **Whew. You know you've gone overboard when you have to divide one chapter into two uploads. I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **I hope I didn't overdo Erza's past. I tried to take all of her traits from the canon and adjust them to the reality of this story, exaggerating them a little to suit the plot more. Stuff like Erza taking baths in her armor, her taking alot of jobs and her admitting to taking lives is all in the canon. I simply turned those things up a notch and that's what came out.**

 **Her fear of being without an armor was the hardest thing to write. I wanted it to feel real, but at the same time not forced. Forgive me if you cringed while reading it, this is the best I can do for this moment.**

 **Also, a little tip from the writer himself: Don't take everything Jellal says too literally.**

 **Luppi was basically done last chapter, so ending him in under 1,000 words was reasonable. You can't really do much with a brainwasher, who's unable to control anyone for longer than a second and pukes on every step he takes. His true potential will be covered in next chapter, so if you feel like I've wasted him, wait with your pitchforks until I upload chapter 13.**

 **And, as you've probably already realised, Natsu vs Silva kicks in with the next upload. I'm super excited for this fight, because it will 1. very challenging to write and 2. will contain alot of stuff that will develop the story even further. So, keep an eye out for that.**

 **Well, I'm off. As always, let me know your thoughts in reviews. Cya!**


	14. The God

**Well, here we are. Chapter 13. This chapter has a slight twist in it when it comes to battles, so do let me know whether I did a good job or ruined it. Hit me with them reviews!**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor**

Erza and Laxus finally arrived at their destination, their opponents still sprawled on their back. The way down took them much longer than they expected, mostly because of their baggage and the recent outburst.

"Are they still here?" asked Erza.

Laxus sniffed the air. "Yeah. We're close."

The pair walked through the battle scarred floor, until they made it to the main area. The S-Class mages stopped and dropped their luggage, Laxus being slightly less gentle than Erza.

"Lucy! Juvia!" called out the knight.

With the corner of the eye she stopped a blonde head peeking out from behind the debris, with Lucy's uncertain face checking out the owner of the voice. At the sight of the knight, the girl beamed and ran out from behind her hiding, Juvia following her in suit shortly afterwards.

"Erza! You're all right!" Lucy threw herself at the redhead with way too much force, clutching her in a tight hug. The knight groaned from pain, Lucy's warm hug causing more damage to her already sore body.

"Keep hugging me like that and I won't be." gasped Erza with a weak laugh.

Lucy quickly freed Erza from her grasp, which Erza greeted with a sigh of relief. "Sorry! I was just really worried about..."

Her eyes then fell on Laxus, who was currently sitting on the ground behind Erza, Juvia already by his side. He was practically soaked in his own blood, his body wrapped in multiple cloths meant to stop the bleeding. It was a miracle he could even walk.

The Dragon Slayer met her horrified and worried gaze with his own. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." he waved his hand at her.

Lucy wasn't entirely convinced, but decided to drop the subject, much to Laxus' relief. She then blinked and looked at Erza, realisation kicking in.

"Erza, these clothes..."

Erza blinked and looked down. "Ah. Don't worry about it, this is-"

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked with a concerned tone and quickly grabbed a hold of her hands, her own trying to cover the redhead's wrists. Erza smiled at the gesture and took a hold of Lucy's hands, giving them a light squeeze.

"Never better." she replied with a smile. "I'll tell you all about it when we get out of here. It's a long story."

The blonde searched through Erza's eyes, as if looking for any hints of a lie, something she was already used to, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. She smiled and returned the grip. "I'll gladly listen to everything."

Juvia was currently wrapping a fresh cloth around Laxus' stomach, much to his annoyance. Once finished, she stood up and walked up to Erza.

"Have you felt that massive explosion of magic power on your way here?" she asked the knight.

"Yes. Since you're asking me about it, does this mean it reached you all the way down here?"

"It did." replied Lucy. "We thought we'd get squeezed into the ground."

"We weren't that much further from ending up that way either." said Erza with a small smile.

"If it wasn't either of you, then who?" added Juvia with a light frown.

Erza looked at the bluenette for a moment, before shifting her eyes onto the ceiling. "I have an idea." she said quietly.

Laxus looked at the knight. "You sure you don't wanna help him?"

Erza turned around to face him. "I am. This is something Natsu has to do on his own, I have no right to stick my nose in this matter."

Laxus continued to stare into Erza's eyes, before lightly exhaling with his nose. "If you say so." He then spotted something with his eye. He blinked a few times and frowned. "Who the hell is that?"

The women looked at him, before turning around to take a look at his discovery. Their eyes laid on defeated Luppi, who was currently laying on the ground on his back, his limbs sprawled in all directions.

"He's one of the Commandments. The one responsible for controlling the Chairman." replied Lucy with a grim voice.

Erza's eyes widened in shock. "Did we miss him on our way through?!"

Juvia nodded. "He was hiding in one of the cells. He was waiting for us."

Erza clenched her teeth in anger. She left them on this floor to keep them away from danger, and yet she basically presented them both to the enemy on a silver platter, making them go through something horrible. She looked at them both, their heads hanged low, their faces pale and grim. Whatever it was that happened here, it must've been terrible.

"Forgive me." said quietly Erza. "This is all my fault. Because of my poor judgement, you had to go through this nightmare."

Lucy shook her head. "Don't be. I'm actually glad it happened."

The knight looked at her with slight suprise.

"The Chairman is not being controlled anymore. Etherion will not be launched!" she finished with a smile.

Erza couldn't help but smile as well. "I guess that completes my news."

Lucy blinked in confusion. "What?"

"On my way here, I was contacted by Hibiki. He gave me Mirajane, Gajeel and Gray's status and a message from Master. They have successfully taken over the Council, thus cancelling Etherion's launch. Now, with their control over Chairman broken, Seven Commandments' plan has crumbled into nothingness."

Lucy and Juvia couldn't help but smile in joy. "That's great news!" said Juvia.

"Victory!" exclaimed Lucy and hugged Juvia. She then calmed down and looked at Erza. "What about the others? Are they okay?"

Erza's smile slightly faded away. She considered lying to the blonde, but ultimately decided not to. "I'll be blunt. Mira and Gajeel are severely injured. They are both on board Christina, their injuries no longer threatening their lives."

Juvia's eyes widened. "No longer?" she repeated slowly. These words meant, that at some point, her friends were few steps away from death, which greatly disturbed the rainwoman.

"As for Gray..." continued Erza. Juvia's eyes widened even more, as she ran up to the knight and grabbed a hold of her hand. "What about him?!" she asked in a raised voice.

"He received treatment, but left the ship. He's currently in the tower. With his injuries, he shouldn't be moving at all. We have to find him and bring him back."

Juvia let go of the redhead's hand and looked at the floor, worry creeping into her mind.

"There's also another problem. One of the Commandments is currently on the loose somewhere in the tower. There's a high chance she gets to Gray before us, therefore, we must hurry."

Juvia and Lucy nodded eagerly. They both walked up to Laxus, one on each of his sides, ready to pick him up. As much as he wanted to argue, he knew he wouldn't be able to walk without their help, so he simply let the women lift him off the ground. He then took a look at unconscious Jellal and Arthur. "You sure we should leave them like that?"

Erza looked at the Commandments, a slight feeling of irritation awakening in her mind. She had completely forgotten about them.

"No. I am not."

She then quickly Requipped a set of rope and began tying them up, tightly wrapping them from head to toe. She had no access to anti-magic cuffs, but in their current condition, even getting out of these binds should be a challenge. After a short while she was done, Jellal and Arthur wrapped in a cocoon of rope. She then grabbed her sword, ready to move out.

"Let us move. There's no time to waste. Let's start with the floor beneath, he couldn't have gotten too far with these injur-"

Erza's words were cut off by a loud noise coming from above. Before any of the Fairy Tail mages could react, something smashed into the floor in front of them after crashing through the ceiling, pieces of debris flying in all directions, a big cloud of dust quickly forming itself. Erza was forced to cover her face with her arms to protect her eyes from shards of the floor, as she, along with everyone else began to cough after being swallowed by the dust. After a while, it cleared out, allowing the knight to take a proper look at what happened.

The ceiling was now decorated with a hole that appeared to be present on each and every single floor above the one they currently resided on. After examining it for few seconds, Erza shifted her eyes onto the ground, blood freezing in her veins. In front of her laid a giant pile of rubble and debris, placed in a large crater, the floor beneath it cracked in all directions. From beneath this pile of rubble peeked out a male arm, the remains of a black jacket still present on its skin, the scar around its wrist gleaming in the light, as its owner laid there, completely immobile.

"Natsu!" cried out Erza in despair, as she threw herself in his direction, leaving shocked Juvia, Laxus and Lucy behind.

* * *

 **20 minutes earlier, Tower of Heaven, Top Floor**

After dragging out his way up the stairs for as long as he could, Natsu finally found himself right in front of his goal. He slowly lifted his right leg and pushed it forwards, kicking the massive door down. The wood easily gave up under his strength and flew out of its hinges, opening the entrance to the room. The pinkette lowered his leg and entered the massive room. It was a giant, practically empty hall, that took over vast majority of the floor. Just above the entrance was a giant window, that granted the view up to the very shore. At the very center of the room, on top of a red stairway stood a throne, with a male figure with silver hair sitting on it. By the very end of the stairs stood the remains of a coffin, its interiors still gently burning. The moonlight gently lit up the already dark room, the dark blue walls reflecting barely any light. The ceiling was decorated with multiple fancy, gold chandeliers, all of them full of small candles, that gave just enough light to take a good look at the area. This display gave the hall a menacing and creepy vibe, that greatly caught the pressure raising in the air with each second.

The man in the throne looked down at his visitor, his crimson eyes gleaming in the dark, his lips curving in a smile.

"Welcome, Natsu. I've been expecting you."

Natsu's fists clenched themselves on their own. "Silva."

Silva gently stood up from his throne. He was clad in a dark coat, that reached all the way to his ankles. Beneath his coat, he was wearing a black buttonless jacket, with silver straps that ran down his arms from his shoulder, ending on the rings formed on the very end of the sleeves. The jacket was tucked to his right side and behind his brown belt. He had tall black boots, with his dark grey pants tugged behind them. This dark display of colors worked wonders with his long, silver hair.

"Seven years. How time flies." said Silva, before starting to walk down the stairs. "Who would have thought we would meet under such circumstances? Personally, I've never expected the troublesome child from years back to turn into such an important piece in my game."

He was now half-way down, when he suddenly stopped walking. "And what an unruly piece you are. By my calculations, if it hadn't been for your persistence in ruining our plans, the world would have been a better place for years now. But don't worry, Natsu. You are forgiven, as tonight, you will take responsibility for your actions. You see..."

"For years."

Silva's monologue was interrupted by Natsu. The man closed his open mouth and looked at the Dragon Slayer, who was currently staring at the ground, his head hanged low. His fists were lightly clenched, his voice calm.

"For years, I was wondering what would happen if I found myself standing in front of you. What would I do, what would I feel, how would I react, what would I say. I've played the scenario in my head hundreds of times, to the point where sometimes I had to convince myself it hadn't happened yet. For years, I felt all this anger and hatred building up every time I remembered you, every single act ended up in me bashing your head in. I was so frustrated I couldn't get my hands on you, I couldn't help but train myself to exhaustion, or lash out on your men until they died, or could no longer stay conscious. But with each year, that feeling was slowly dying out, to the point where I didn't even know the point of what I was doing. Until one day, when I've realised something. I didn't want to acknowledge it at first, but now that I'm standing right in front of you, it's all clear."

Natsu took his eyes off the ground and locked them with Silva's. "Even when I'm staring into your eyes, I don't even know what to feel. I should be furious, I shouldn't be even talking to you, I should be lashing out on you. But I just can't."

Silva smirked. "Hatred is a wild, burning flame. It can grow big and powerful, but can easily fade away with time. Yours lasted for a long time, but it appears, it no longer-"

"As an individual, that is."

Natsu once again cut Silva off, much to the man's irritation. He looked at the Dragon Slayer with a raised eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Natsu took a while to reply. He looked at his right hand and opened it. "The more time I spent out there, the more I realised it's not just about me. What you've done to me, to our village was terrible. I still want to slaughter you all for what you've done back then. But I am not alone."

Natsu tightly clenched his fist and looked at Silva with burning eyes, as he forced his painful memories of Marie's body in his arms back to the corners of his mind. "All those people I saw with my own eyes, taken away from their homes, kept against their will, forced to do your bidding. All the homes destroyed, all the families torn apart, all the people I've failed to save, all the lives you've taken in this cursed building. Seeing it all gave me a new purpose in life, it filled me with a new sense. A sense of duty."

Silva listened to the Dragon Slayer with a calm face, unimpressed with his monologue.

Natsu's fist lit up in flames, his tone and expression getting more and more wild with each second. "My duty is to take you all down, no matter the cost. Not because of my personal grudge, but because it is my duty, which I owe to all the people, who went through the very same horror as I did. All my life, I've been doing nothing but hurting people, even those who did not deserve it. At the very end, I might as well do something good for a change, and end you once and for all."

Silva's eyes slightly widened in shock. He quickly recovered, however, and gently sighed, before resuming his way down once again. "And here I was, excited for our fateful meeting. Words cannot express how disappointed I am, Salamander. I was hoping you wouldn't end up as all those self righteous, blind fools, that roam our beautiful, diseased world. Unless, of course, you are simply lying to yourself, to justify you own actions and make you feel right."

Seeing that his taunt had no effect on the Dragon Slayer, Silva dropped it and continued his monologue.

"I was hoping that by showing you the truth of this world at a very young age, you would make a good decision, and help us bring peace and justice. It makes me sad, that after years of my hard work, I ended up awakening only six people. I'm actually starting to doubt my own methods."

He then stopped just few steps away from the ground and spread his arms out. "This world is cruel, Natsu. The strong feed on the weak. You've just said your duty is destroying us. Mine is bringing peace and harmony to the world. We all deserve to be equal, and Zeref's guidance will be the very first step in our revolution!"

"Cut the bullshit." growled Natsu, earning him a confused look from Silva. "We both know you'd rather die, than willingly put someone above you. You'd let them name you The God for a reason."

Silva stared at Natsu for a short while, his mouth lightly agape, before twisting it into a sinister grin. "Oh? You've figured it out?"

Natsu left this question unanswered and instead continued to drill a hole in Silva's face with his stare. Seeing that further discussion was pointless, he regained his composure and resumed his way down.

With one final step, he finally made it all the way down the stairs, and stood few meters before Natsu. He took a look at the pinkette's figure and smirked, completely dropping his earlier facade. "Despite all the things we've just said, I do have to praise you. Knowing full well you are no match for me and my magic, you still decide to aim your fists in my direction. Consider the God amused."

Natsu made nothing of the man's taunts and simply said two words. "The Snatcher"

Silva's eyes widened in shock at the sound of these words. "What did you say?" he asked, his condescending tone gone.

"That's the name of your magic." replied Natsu, his voice confident.

Silva clenched his teeth in anger and slowly looked at the coffin right next to him. "Grigol..." he growled.

"He simply confirmed it. I figured it out on my own." said the Dragon Slayer. " **Lost Magic: The Snatcher.** The ability to steal other people's magic, and either keep it for ourselves, or grant it to others. There are multiple conditions you have to meet, before successfully taking someone's magic away. Learning its nature, what it does, how it's activated and whether it's Lost or not are just a few of them. Even after you gain a new ability, you still have to learn how to use it from scratch, rendering you at square one, no matter the point of mastery of its previous owner."

A vein popped on Silva's forehead, sweat running down his temple. A disgusting feeling of defeat crawled onto his neck, anger building up inside of him.

"You're no God. You're just a sadistic scum, who also happens to be a thief." growled Natsu.

With one swift move of his arm, Silva struck the coffin in anger, breaking it into tiny pieces, Grigol's ashes spilling onto the floor.

"Well done, Natsu." said quietly the man. "Perhaps this little meeting will grant me a small dose of enjoyment after all. You are not required to be whole for the ceremony, which leaves room for some fun."

Natsu bent his knees, ready to charge. "You will die today, Silva."

The Commandment simply smirked in response and took off his coat, before throwing it aside. "I wonder."

In one moment, Natsu let all the pent up feelings to take over his mind, his flame once again burning with great strength. He kicked the ground as hard as he could, and dashed at Silva, at speed he hasn't used in a long while, not holding anything back. He pulled his arm back and struck the man's face as hard as he could, his flames exploding upon impact. Once they cleared, Natsu realised he hasn't made contact with the man, his fist stuck in the air few centimeters away from Silva's face, pressing against something hard and invisible.

Silva smirked and quickly answered by striking Natsu's face with his right hand, his palm open. Natsu dodged the strike by ducking underneath and threw an overhand left, aimed at the man's face. Silva blocked the strike at the last second, by putting his left hand up to his face and catching it before it connected with his cheek. Despite blocking the strike, he received majority of its impact. Both men remained frozen in their positions, glaring at each other. Blood flew out of the right corner of Silva's mouth, revealing the effects of Natsu's punch. After a second, he lightly squeezed Natsu's right hand.

In an instance, Natsu's arm blew up, a cloud of blood exploding right next to his face, few drops of it falling onto his face. In pure shock and fear, Natsu quickly threw a panicked right straight into Silva's face, which connected, and forcefully snatched his left arm out of his grip. He jumped back as far as he could and fearfully looked down at his trembling, stinging arm, afraid of what he was about to find out. His left arm was covered in multiple shallow cuts, varying from short ones on his fingers, to very long ones that reached up to his elbow. Despite the grotesque sight, there was no serious damage to the hand, which Natsu took with relief. He ripped the remains of his sleeve and wrapped it around his wounded arm, his eyes glued to Silva while doing so.

"As expected of a Dragon Slayer." said the man, while wiping his mouth off. "My intentions were to shred your arm into tiny bits, however all I've managed to give you are cat scratches. The durability that comes with your magic is truly magnificent. Then again, this magic is the newest addition to my collection, I am still a novice at controlling it. But, I must give praise where it is required, and you most certainly deserve it. It appears I will be forced to put slightly more effort into this than I'd previously thought."

Natsu pulled the cloth with his teeth, finishing his first aid and resumed his fighting stance. "You won't even get a chance."

He kicked the ground and charged at Silva once again. He quickly closed the distance between them and kicked his middle section, only to feel his foot stop few centimeters away from his target, once again meeting air. Not phased by it, he put his leg down and jumped over Silva, throwing few kicks into his head while in the air, all of them facing the fame fate. He then landed directly behind Silva and turned around on his feet, using the momentum and his entire body weight to strike his back with all his might, his flames once again exploding upon impact. But just like all the other attacks, it was rendered useless, with an invisible wall standing between him and Silva.

Silva smirked and gently turned around to face the pinkette. "Your fist will not reach me ever again."

He then extended his left hand and put it in Natsu's face. A second later, Natsu was blown back by an explosion that hit him point blank. Feeling his skin burning and hurting from impact, he grimaced from pain and turned around in the air, before falling on all fours and sliding on the floor. He lifted his head, only to see that Silva was nowhere to be found. His instincts cried out in danger, and with a sheer miracle, he threw himself to the side, avoiding Silva's devastating hand, that touched the ground and blew it up, knocking both men backwards.

Natsu once again slid on the floor and covered his face with his arms, guarding his eyes from dust. _"That's the third magic. No matter how skilled he is, there is no way he can have more abilities than that. A barrier to protect himself, and two offensive magics. Bastard's pretty stacked up."_

Knowing full well than wondering about it was pointless, Natsu rushed in Silva's direction once again, his hands lit up. He got inside of his range and threw a right uppercut, that was easily dodged by Silva. He then extended his pivot and threw a left hook, to which Silva responded by sidestepping to his right. Natsu quickly turned on his feet and threw a right hook that was blocked by the Barrier, only to then put his left hand on the wall as well, and launch a powerful blast of flames. Much to his suprise, the flames splattered to the sides, not damaging the wall at all.

"A pain in the ass barrier and two powerful magics to shred your opponents with. That's three in total. You sure as hell are a greedy bastard, aren't you." growled Natsu.

Silva simply chuckled at these words, which annoyed Natsu even further. "Three? Couldn't be more far from the truth."

Suddenly, he vanished. Natsu's eyes widened in shock, his ears picking up a faint sound of footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around, only to see Silva's face in front of his, his fist retracted. Using all the strength he had in his legs, Natsu jumped back just in time to avoid The God's punch. His fist made contact with the ground and broke it into dozens of tiny pieces, the entire floor cracking and breaking under the weight of his strike. Natsu landed several meters away and couldn't help but stagger in the uneven ground, his eyes wide and full of terror.

"T-this is...Grigol's..." was all he could muster at the very moment.

Silva pulled his fist out from the ground and shook it a little, assessing its state. After seeing it was not damaged at all, he gave it a light squeezed and turned to Natsu. "Yes, Body Enhancement Magic. The very same magic Grigol used to have two days ago." He then noticed the state Natsu was in and laughed gently. "Don't be so suprised, Natsu. Who exactly do you think he got it from?"

Salamander still couldn't believe what just happened. "But...how..."

Silva's face twisted in a sinister grin. "I never said I couldn't take magic off corpses now, did I?"

Shock was defeated by disgust and anger, as Natsu's face slowly twisted into a scowl. "You scum."

"I admit, my control over it is a bit lacking. It's been years, after all. But I think I still got the basics." said the Commandment while checking out his body, ignoring Natsu's insult. He then clenched his fist and smiled at the Dragon Slayer. "Let's try it out."

In an instance, Silva dashed at the pinkette, not giving him a chance to put up his guard. Natsu threw a quick right straight, which was bypassed by Silva, who answered with a right hook to his jaw. Natsu's head was blown aside, but he remained in his spot. He grit his teeth and replied with a right hook of his own, only to hit nothing but air, with Silva gone. He then felt sharp pain in his back, with Silva kicking him from behind. Natsu replied to that with a right backfist that sent a massive wave of flames, only to once again miss his target. He quickly turned around in a wild guess, which turned out to be correct, with Silva punching him in the gut. Gasping for air, Natsu felt multiple strikes nail into his body, unable to react. He put up his guard and tried to survive the onslaught, his mind racing.

 _"It's been 10 seconds already, how the hell can he still move like that?!"_ he wondered, feeling his nose being squashed by Silva's fist. Fed up with this, he lit up his entire body on fire and expanded the aura as far as he could, forcing the Commandment to jump back, which allowed Natsu to finally take a breath.

"It appears I've still got it." muttered Silva to himself, as he watched his right hand with fascination. He then looked at Natsu and smirked. "If you're wondering why my usage of this magic is so different, it's because it is one of the most flexible magics in the world. Its usage is dependant on the user. Grigol was a power hungry fool, who put brute strength above all, which greatly crippled his capabilities and made him full of weaknesses. I spread out the power all over my body and dose it accordingly, which grants me not only superior speed when compared to him, but also vastly extends my time limit."

Natsu clenched his teeth in anger, desperation slowly creeping into his heart. "I've beat Grigol, and I will do the same with you."

"I do wonder about that." retorted Silva. "Earlier, you said I had three magics. Now, that I've showed you that is not the case, I guess I could do you a little favor and save you the shock that would most likely come to you in near future. I do not possess four magics. I possess six."

Natsu's eyes widened in fear. _Six?_ "You're bluffing." he growled.

"Why don't you find out for yourself? You've always been a slow learner, even as a child. I think we both remember it very well."

Natsu couldn't help himself from charging at the man, even if he wanted to. Hearing the very man who put him through hell mention these events made him snap, his last bits of reason slowly giving in to fury. He lit up his fists once again and ran towards Silva, his torso leaned against the ground, which greatly increased his speed. In response, Silva squatted in his spot and put his hands on the ground.

All of a sudden, multiple spikes grew out from the ground, all of them aimed at Natsu. Halting himself at the last possible second, he avoided being impaled by jumping back, however some of them did manage to scratch his legs and arms a bit. As soon as he landed, he felt a presence in front of him, with Silva quickly closing the distance with Body Enhancement Magic. He delivered a powerful kick to the pinkette's stomach, which made him cough up blood and blow him back. He rolled on the ground, before finally regaining him position and blindly charging at the man once again, his reason dulled. Silva simply smirked and tapped the ground with his foot, spikes growing out from the ground once again. In response, Natsu jumped and lit up his fist, before smashing it into the spikes.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

The punch shattered the spikes and covered Natsu's figure in shards of the ground and dust. When he finally flew out of the cloud, he spotted Silva, his hands extended in front of him, aimed in Natsu's direction.

 ** _EXPLODING WAVE!_**

A massive explosion was sent in Natsu's direction, hitting the Dragon Slayer in his entirety. He was blown away, his body covered in light burn marks, the stinging pain all over his body fueling his rage even further. He flipped in the air and landed on all fours, ready to attack again, but before he had a chance, he spotted a giant pillar heading in his direction. He sidestepped to his right, easily dodging it, but with the corner of his eye, he spotted a weird red marking on the solid surface. Before he could react, Silva snapped his fingers, which caused the pillar to explode, hurting Natsu and blowing him away to the side. He once again rolled on the ground, his body becoming heavier with each taken hit, as he slowly approached his limit. Despite the pain, he once again stood up and resumed his fighting stance, his hands swalled by flames yet again.

"I was expecting more resistance, Natsu. Please, try not to disappoint my expectations." mocked Silva, playing on the pinkette's nerves. "You're fighting for all the people I've hurt, are you not? Right now, you are not disappointing just me, but them as well."

The last sentence hit its mark, with Natsu once again throwing himself at the Commandment in despair. Just like earlier, Silva replied by putting his hands on the floor, but instead of spikes, he grew out giant cubes formed into pillars, that greatly changed the terrain, blocking Salamander's way in the process. Natsu stopped in his tracks after being lifted towards the ceiling by one of the pillars and puffed out his chest, his magic power rising.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Purging flames hit the reconstructed ground, shattering it like glass. They burned them into nothingness and flew right into Silva, much to his suprise. In response, the man flexed his right arm and punched in the flames' direction, a giant shockwave breaking the roar into tiny bits of fire. Making nothing of it, Natsu continued his dash, his path clear of any obstacles, as he jumped in the air, ready to use another roar. Seeing this, Silva raised his arm and extended his index and middle fingers, keeping the rest of his fingers bent inwards his palm. He then raised it in the air, before slicing the air with his fingers.

 ** _AIR SLICER!_**

Everything in front of Silva, including the very ground itself was cut in two, a thin, sharp slice of air flying across the floor. The attack pierce through the wall and escaped the tower, flying into the horizon. Natsu fell to the ground. He covered his face with his hand, blood dripping down his palm, as he stood up. Despite dodging the attack at the last second, he was still caught, a big cut spreading across his face at an angle, from above his left eyebrow, across his nose and down his cheek, ending just next to his lip.

Making nothing out of his newest injury, Natsu dashed once again, adrenaline making him immune to pain. Seeing that the Dragon Slayer was still eager to resist, he put up his hands on his sides and aimed his palms at the Dragon Slayer, his fingers twisted into claws.

 ** _AIR CANNON: GATLING GUN!_**

The God started to push multiple balloons of air towards Natsu, his hands turning into machine guns. Natsu used his sharp instincts to dodge every single bullet sent his way, as he zig zagged his way through the onslaught. Seeing that he had no means of hitting Natsu with this attack, Silva and extended his hands further and focused his magic in his palms.

 ** _AIR WAVE!_**

Silva sent a strong wave of wind in Natsu's direction, who jumped over it. Now, in the air, he pulled his arm back and focused his magic in his fist, his fire reaching unbearable temperatures. In response, Silva tapped the ground with his foot once again, a giant pillar slowly growing out of the ground behind him. He then gently tapped it with his right hand and then smacked his arm in Natsu's direction, the structure flying into him at full speed. The pinkette put up his left arm and sent a giant fireball to the side, which changed the trajectory of his flight, and allowed him to pass right by the pillar. However, just like before, it was marked, and it blew up right next to the Dragon Slayer, a giant explosion swallowing his figure.

Silva smirked in triumph, sure of his victory. But that was short lived, as Natsu jumped out of the cloud, with no new injuries on his figure. Silva's eyes widened in slight shock, as he watched Natsu pulled his fist back, his flames so hot they were almost white in color.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

Natsu struck with everything he had, the area around him blowing up from the impact, his flames spreading all over the floor. The surface beneath his feet cracked even further, making the entire floor unstable and easy to collapse. After a long while, the dust cleared, as Natsu panted heavily, awaiting the results of his attack. His eyes slowly widened in terror upon meeting Silva's crimson eyes, who was safe and sound after blocking the strike with his barrier. However, despite being uninjured, he was still shaken up by the strength of the strike, most likely considering the scenario where he did not protect himself in time.

"As I've already told you." he said, his voice quiet, with anger creeping behind it. "Your fist will never reach me."

The God struck the pinkette's face with a powerful left straight, which sent him flying. He landed on his back several meters away, blood flowing down his face from his cut. He slowly stood up, breathing heavily, the last attack vastly draining his remaining stamina.

"This is becoming stale. Instead of enjoyment, all I can muster is irritation." said quietly Silva, displeased with the turn of events. He dusted off his clothes and locked his eyes with Natsu. "The only thing driving you is despair and desperation. You are well aware you have no chance of winning, but you keep pushing yourself forward in order to satisfy your own ego. This farce has gone on for far too long. It's time I've ended this."

Natsu growled and charged at Silva, his steps heavy and tense.

"But before our goodbye, there is something I've got to tell you, Natsu." said the Commandment, before effortlessly dodging the Dragon Slayer's punch. "I forgot to mention a very crucial point regarding my Barrier."

"I don't care!" roared Natsu, before kicking in Silva's direction, only to be blocked once again.

"You see..." continued the man, as he kept blocking and dodging each and every strike. "The damage absorbed by this magic does not simply disappear. Barrier is not just a magic that protects me from harm - if I were to compare it to an item you might be familiar with, it'd be a sponge. It absorbs all received damage in one place, and keeps it sealed."

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S JAW!_**

The entire floor shook down to its core, as Natsu smashed his joined hands into the ground, only for Silva to escape with the increased speed, granted him by his Body Enhancement Magic. He then quickly stepped in and kicked Natsu in the stomach. The Dragon Slayer grit his teeth in pain, before locking his hands on Silva's leg and raising him by it, suprising the man. Silva then quickly switched to his explosions and touched Natsu's hands, causing them to blow up. His grip on Silva's leg loosened up, his sore, stinging hands not listening to him. Natsu grit his teeth in pain and jumped out of the smoke, only to find Silva right in front of his face.

"Thanks to that, I can do this."

Silva put his hand on Natsu's sternum and calmly said one word.

 ** _REPEL_**

Excruciating pain shook Natsu right to his core, his eyes immediately losing their focus, breath leaving his body, a giant amount of blood escaping his open mouth. along with a weird, almost inhuman squeek. He was sent flying backwards, as he bounced off the ground like a ball, before halting, with his back smashing into something hard. Silva created a wall just behind Natsu to keep him away from falling out of the tower and clenched his fist, wires of concrete and ground starting to slowly wrap themselves around the Dragon Slayer, keeping him stuck to the wall. Natsu tried to escape, his heavy, sore body not listening to his commands, as he desperately fought for even a single breath.

"How does it feel, being hit with the accumulated force of all the strikes you've thrown at me?" asked Silva with a smirk. His only response was Natsu's hateful glare.

"Well, it doesn't matter now. It's over, Natsu. There are no words in this world to express my disappointment."

Natsu growled through his clenched teeth and started to violently shake in his bounds, the hard, solid material wrapping more and more of his body, now leaving only his chest and head out of its grasp.

"Still, my own, personal feelings are not important here, as you do deserve some sort of a praise. Not only have you killed one Commandment, you've managed to injure three others. You've both exceeded and disappointed my expectations, how ironic is that?"

Once again, Silva received no reply, his crimson eyes watching the struggling Dragon Slayer with amusement. His chest was now covered in the hardened floor, as it slowly crawled onto his mouth.

"Since this is farewell, as we will never see each other again, I must express my gratitude towards you, Natsu. Thanks to you, my dream of a perfect world will finally come true. Soon, I will free your unconscious body from its prison and sacrifice you to bring back Zeref. Then, once all the pieces are finally in their place, I will activate the command I've put in Luppi's brain upon granting him his magic. Against his own will, he will be forced to give his own life for my future, and transfer my mind into Zeref's body, granting me his superior knowledge of magic and magic power. Once that is complete, I will finally be able to cleanse this world off its filth - wizards."

Silva clenched his teeth in disgust, his hatred towards wizards kicking in. "Magic is too beautiful for this world. People living here do not deserve the beauty it grants us. Instead of using it for greater purpose, it is mindlessly used to spread violence, destruction and tragedy. One in a tenth is born a wizard, and yet despite these ridiculous odds, all of those blessed with this gift use it for their own, selfish needs. But no more."

Natsu stopped struggling and listened to Silva, his eyes wide and unable to believe what he'd just heard.

"I am currently too weak to make a difference, but with Zeref's power, I will be able to purge this world and rebuild it anew. Earlier, you've mentioned all the people that met their end in this tower. They were a nourishment for the future of others. What is a couple thousands, when compared to millions? In order to change something, we must sacrifice something in return. And tonight, my dream will finally come true. For making that happen, I will be forever in your debt, Natsu."

Natsu's eyes were the only thing free from his binds, as he continued to dumbly stare at the Commandment, only one thought circling in his mind.

 _"He's insane."_

"To pay it, let me share a certain information with you." said Natsu, earning himself a confused look from the Dragon Slayer. "Despite not asking me about it earlier, I am most certain this question is still present at the back of your mind. This question being: What happened to your friends after you've escaped from us?"

Natsu threw himself in his binds once again, his screams muffled.

"After killing the woman who set you all free, we went an extra mile and successfully caught majority of the escaped children. They were then escorted here, where they worked for my dream. As for their end..."

Silva stopped and watched Natsu, who calmly waited to hear the rest, his eyes wide and fearful.

"Let's just say you've met them today, upon entering the tower." finished The God with a small smirk.

Realisation kicked Natsu harder than any blow, as he remembered the exploding bodies he's encountered upon entering the tower. Tears formed in his eyes, fury slowly starting to take over his mind, however, before he could give in to it, Silva quickly finished restraining him, his eyes being covered by the concrete. Natsu was successfully sealed, left to suffocate and become unconscious in his binds.

Silva sighed through his nose, letting his victory sink in deep into his very soul. He couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face, as he slowly raised his fingers up to his temple and tried to reach out to Luppi through their private mind link.

 _"Luppi, answer me."_

There was a small pause after these words, but the teenager obediently responded.

 _"Yes, Master?"_

 _"I have captured Salamander. Retreat to the top floor immediately."_

Another pause. Silva couldn't help but frown, sensing that situation on the other end may have not been going according to his plans.

 _"I am currently trying to get back to you, Master. There are some difficulties, however. It may take me a while to get back to you."_

Cold sweat covered Silva's neck. If something happened to the most important piece of his plan, everything was lost. He looked at sealed Natsu - leaving him with no supervision was out of the question. Feeling his feet getting wet, Silva decided to stay calm and deal with the situation as always.

 _"Retreat back at all cost. That is an order."_

 _"As you wish, Master."_

With that said, the link was cut off. The God frowned, his blood pressure raising. If Luppi was all alone, did it mean all the other Commandments have already fallen? How was that possible? A guild capable of destroying everything on its path defeated by a mere legal guild full of fakes? The sheer thought was inconceivable.

All of a sudden, the sound of something cracking reached his ears. Silva twitched and quickly turned in the direction of the sound, which came from Natsu's prison. The God carefully watched it in suspense, disbelief creeping into his mind. Then, more cracks appeared on the surface, not making the Commandment fully certain of the situation.

Before he could react, the cage exploded, pieces of debris flying in all directions, with a furious Dragon Slayer emerging from its remains, as he growled through his grit, bare teeth. He then locked his eyes with Silva, small lightnings beginning to crackle around his body.

With absolutely no warning, Natsu roared into the ceiling, his body exploding in a massive aura of fire and lightning, triple the size of his own body. The gravity in the hall increased, making it difficult for Silva to breathe, with Natsu's magic power increasing with each second, as he continued to roar, his voice and magic causing the entire tower to shake. Despite its furious, wild nature, Natsu's scream was filled with sadness and despair, something that scared the Commandment to his very core.

 _"What is this magic?! How can be possess this much power?!"_ wondered terrified Silva in his thoughts. _"This is too much, even for me! I must quickly subdue him, otherwise..."_

All of a sudden, Natsu stopped his cry and bent his knees, before dashing at Silva, the floor beneath him breaking. He closed the distance at speed great enough to render the Commandment speechless and pulled his arm back, both of his elements covering it tightly.

 ** _BARRIER!_**

Silva couldn't help but cry out in fear, as he watched Natsu's fist land a mere inch away from his face. Two elements splashed themselves all over the invisible wall, sucessfully blocking the strike. Silva then tried to counterattack with his explosions by throwing his arm in Natsu's direction. Growling in fury, Natsu retracted his fist and quickly ran around Silva, taking him from behind, and dodging his attack.

Terror grasping his heart, Silva used his Body Enhancement Magic to jump out of the way, his speed cracked up to its very limits. Just when he thought he was safe, he felt an iron grip on his left ankle, with Natsu grabbing him before he could escape. In one, swift motion of his arm, he smashed the man into the floor, knocking wind out of his lungs. Not giving him enough time to rest, Natsu followed through with a right stomp, only to be interrupted by Silva, who quickly formed a pillar, which raised Natsu high in the air, away from The God.

Natsu growled and grabbed the pillar with both arms, before shattering it into pieces. He then used one of them as a foothold and launched himself at Silva, who was forced to desperately roll out of the way of his flight. Natsu crashed into the ground, breaking it even further, the wind created with his landing pushing Silva back even further.

Silva quickly stood up and raised his arms, ready to strike the rampaging Dragon Slayer before he could reach him. Just like he expected, Natsu charged straight at him.

 _ **AIR-**_

Suddenly, Natsu greatly increased his speed and caught the Commandment midway through his attack. He planted his fist, coated in fire and lightning deep into the man's stomach, making him cough up alot of blood, the stinging, itching pain spreading over his stomach. Silva was blown away, his stomach burned and numb, as he rolled on the ground, unable to stop himself. His back planted itself on one of his earlier creations, as he slid down it, his hands aimlessly hovering over his injured area, unable to comprehend this turn of events. He then raised his head, only to feel genuine fear get a hold of his chest, with Natsu slowly pacing towards him, his face twisted in animal-like fury.

"M-monster..." mumbled Silva, before being forced to jump out of the way, with Natsu charging at him once again. While in the air, he couldn't help but helplessly watch the Dragon Slayer bend his knees and jump as well, following him in suit. Silva couldn't shake off the feeling of being a prey, bound to be captured by its predator, no matter how long he tried to run for. This feeling filled the Commandment with anger, greatly injuring his pride. He was the man destined to change the world, how could he fall victim to the very person he was supposed to use to achieve this dream with?

Fear slowly started to give in to anger, as Silva decided to fight back, and show this rampaging ape its place. He put up his hands and aimed them at Natsu, at the same time readying himself up for the upcoming pain.

"Using two magics at the same time is a major violation of my magic's rules, but if it's you we're talking about, I am willing to do whatever it takes."

 _ **REPEL + MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER**_!

A combined shockwave of wind and absorbed force hit Natsu in its entirety, which sent him flying towards the floor. His figure broke through it and started to make its way down the tower, passing through each and every floor beneath. Silva yelled out, his arms pulsing and burning from pain, as he limply fell onto the ground. He grunted through his clenched teeth, his arms tense and flexed, however, despite all this pain, he still considered it a right choice. With this combination, his victory was secured.

Natsu fell down all the way to the fourth floor, where his momentum was finally lowered enough to allow him to stay on it, as he smashed into the floor. Pieces of ceiling and floor fell on top of him, burying him in a small mountain of rubble, his right hand being the only thing visible from beneath the pile.

Rocked, he dumbly stared into the darkness, his mind trying to figure out what just happened. He didn't have to wait too long, as all the pieces started to quickly form into a whole mass.

"Natsu!"

With the familiar voice calling out to him being the final push, Natsu was completely awakened. He clenched his right fist and blew up the pile of rubble on top of him, sending its pieces fly in all directions.

Erza was forced to shield her face from the stones, as she watched Natsu stand up from the ground, his cloak of fire and lightning tightly surrounding his entire figure. He slowly raised his head towards the ceiling, his face expressing pure fury. His eyes were almost completely rid of pupils, his teeth tightly clenched, but kept behind his lips. He was covered in injured from head to toe, his recent trip rewarding him with more cuts and bruises. All of this gave him a sinister look, one that filled Fairy Tail mage with pure fear.

"Natsu-" Erza tried to call out to the Dragon Slayer, but before she could do so, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. She looked around to look at Laxus, whose eyes were glued on Salamander. The blonde was tense and cautious.

"Don't speak to him, not when he's like that. He might not recognize you."

Even if she wanted to, she couldn't argue with this advice. If Laxus of all people gave her this advice, it must have meant he's seen the pinkette in this state before.

"Let's just step away from him and keep our distance."

The women nodded and started to slowly back off, Lucy and Juvia still supporting Laxus, with Natsu not even paying attention to them. Instead, his entire focus was aimed at the ceiling, more specifically his opponent that was still couple floors above. After a short while of thinking, Natsu started to inhale as much air as he could, his magic beginning to raise. He puffed out his chest and cheeks, as he leaned back towards the floor, facing the ceiling.

Before Erza could even shout out to her friends to warn them, it already happened.

 _ **LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

The knight was forced to watch, as Natsu spat out a torrent of flames and lightning, an attack she had a chance to experience with her own skin over a week ago. Except this time, it was at least three times larger, and as it made contact with the ceiling, it sent waves of air that knocked her and her friends back, making them fly across the floor.

Natsu's roar made its way up the tower, until it crashed into its very roof and passed right through it, flying into the night sky, like a beacon of light. Wendy and Hibiki, who watched it happen from on board Christina, could only stare at it in awe, their jaws on the floor.

After what felt like minutes, Natsu's roar finally calmed down, leaving him panting and seemingly drained, his aura much smaller than before. Erza pushed away the piece of debris that found its way on top of her and looked up, before feeling her eyes widen in pure shock.

She was met with the sight of the night sky, all the floors above them gone and erased from existence, with only their falling apart skeleton remaining in their place, about to crumble. Erza slowly shifted her gaze back onto Natsu, who was now staring at something. That something turned out to be Silva, who was currently lying on his stomach, his body twitching and covered in light burns. His terrified eyes were glued to Natsu's figure, who started to slowly walk in his direction. Despite using his Barrier to protect himself, it broke under the pressure, blocking only a part of the attack. The mere thought of his defense being beaten was unimaginable to the Commandment, and with the sight of his now ruined tower, it was a blow he had no hopes of recovering from.

Just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, he spotted defeated Luppi, Jellal and Arthur, all of them lying next to each other. Silva couldn't help but feel his world falling apart, as he desperately tried to ensure himself it was all just a bad dream.

"It's over, Silva." said Natsu, which awakened the man from his trance. "It's gone. Everything you've ever stood for is gone. You're finished."

Silva stared into Natsu's onyx eyes. Defeat? Gone? Over? None of these words applied to him, the mere thought was ridiculous. Why was this child staring him down in triumph, why was he on the ground, while the very person that was supposed to be the fuel to his ambitions, a mere sacrificial lamb was standing? Anger started boil inside of him, all of his frustration itching to be aimed at something, at _someone._

With the corner of his eye, Silva spotted something game changing, a light in the dark tunnel, something that could be considered a gift from the gods themselves. Using all his strength to prevent himself from smiling, Silva slowly stood up and faced Natsu.

"You've truly grown powerful, Natsu." he said. "You have surpassed my expectations. To think you hid this kind of power, you've easily surpassed all of the Commandments, including myself."

Silva's magic started to rise, signalising the beginning of his attack. "However, despite all this power, you are still weak. Bound by your own, foolish self."

The man put up his arms in a familiar fashion, aiming them at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer frowned at the sight. "Do you really think you will hit me with this?"

Silva smirked. "I am most certain of it."

His hands started to glow, as he charged up his attack. Natsu bent his knees, ready to counter it. However, before he could do it, Silva quickly turned around and aimed it somewhere else. Confused, Natsu looked over to where Silva was aiming, and felt his blood freeze.

He watched as Juvia desperately called out to Lucy, who was stuck beneath a boulder, unconscious. The bluenette tried to push the stone away with her magic, however she could barely make it budge. Realisation kicking in, Natsu watched in horror as Silva smiled wickedly, before launching his attack.

 _ **ATOMIC BURST!**_

Erza could only watch in horror, as a giant explosion made its way towards her friends, swallowing and destroying everything on its path, before making contact with its target and blowing up.

"Lucy! Juvia!" called out the knight in despair, her heart sinking in. She threw herself in a mad dash across the floor, heading directly towards the dust cloud, expecting the worst. Praying to gods, she ran as fast as she could, her breath stuck in her throat. When she finally made it, she stopped in her tracks and stared in shock at the sight in front of her.

"Y...you..." stuttered out shocked Juvia, Lucy still by her side, stuck underneath rubble.

In front of Juvia stood Natsu, his arms spread out to the sides in order to block as much of the explosion as possible. He was struggling to breathe, his body completely burned and smoking, his magic almost burned out. His clothes were almost completely gone, his white scarf slowly sliding off his neck onto the ground, the remains of his pants still somewhat hanging on his waist. The ground in front and behind of him was scorched and burned out, with Juvia and Lucy residing on a small island created by Natsu's figure after blocking the attack. He wheezed out one last time, before falling onto his knees and sitting down on his legs, his hands limply falling onto his lap.

Silva's breath was heavy, his face twisted in pain. Using an explosion of such rate in his current state was idiotic, his arms throbbing and hurting from its impact, but it was a bet that paid off greatly. He couldn't help but smirk at the state the very person who put him in this situation was in, sense of triumph once again filling his mind.

"Fate has already been decided, Natsu." he breathed out in-between his pants. "Struggle all you want, but you can not change it. You will die here, just how it's always been meant to be."

Silva started to walk towards the fallen Dragon Slayer, who desperately tried to stand up. Sensing that it was futile, he dropped back onto his knees, his body too heavy to move a single muscle. The God smirked at the sight, as he continued on his way towards the pinkette. Suddenly, he was forced to dodge an incoming sword, followed by a a lightning falling onto him from the sky, shocking him. The Commandment gasped from pain and fell onto his knee, before lifting his head up, sending a hateful look to people responsible for it.

Erza and Laxus were currently standing before Natsu, both of them ready to fight Silva in his stead. Although they were both injured beyond their limits, they couldn't turn a blind eye on someone, who saved their friends from imminent death.

"You will not lay your hands on him, you fiend." growled intimidatingly Erza. "You will not harm anyone ever again."

A vein popped on Silva's forehead. "Titania, Erza Scarlet. Makarov Dreyar's grandson, Laxus. You are both no match against my power. Step aside, or suffer the same fate as Salamander. Do not anger The God."

Laxus tightly clenched his fist and brought it down, causing a lightning to hit Silva once again. The man cried out in pain and fell to his knees yet again, his patience reaching its absolute limits.

"Last time I checked, gods did not bow to humans." said Laxus. "But I think I'm okay with this turn of events."

Silva cried out in fury and threw himself at the pair. The final battle has begun.

 **End of Chapter 13. To be continued in Chapter 14: Start Anew.**

* * *

 **So...yeah. Silva's masterplan was something that sounded way better in my head...heh.**

 **Next chapter will be the conclusion of this arc. I have decided to continue the story and once we're donw with this one, we're off onto Tenrou Island! I have many ideas for this arc. Hell, I have ideas for Tartaros. And Alvarez...sigh.**

 **In next chapter's trivia, I will reveal all of Silva's abilities and what they do, along with full list fo all Commandments.**

 **Either way, I'm tired, it's 4AM and I need my beauty sleep. Do let me know your thoughts in reviews and stay awesome!**


	15. Start Anew

**Ladies and gentlemen, here we are. After over 47,000 views, 408 favorites and 517 follows, 15 separate uploads and 14 chapters, the last chapter of Seven Commandments Arc, dropping right now!**

 **I have decided to continue writing the story, as the main plot points of this story have yet to fully bloom. Now, with Natsu and Erza's arc out of the way, I will be able to expand their bonds. So stay tuned for that. Next stop - Tenrou Island Arc. I will continue to write this story right here, so don't you go anywhere!  
**

 **Without stretching it out any longer, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Erza and Laxus braced themselves for Silva's charge, with the blonde trying to stay on his feet, which came with great difficulty.

"How do you stand with magic power?" asked him Erza.

"I'm running on fumes, I probably have just enough for one big hit." he replied

Erza clicked her tongue. "I'm not doing better myself. We have to get this over with quickly."

Behind the pair, Natsu desperately tried to get up, however his lack of any magic power in his body prevented him from doing so. Erza slightly turned her head in his direction.

"Don't force yourself, you can barely move. Try to rest."

Natsu panted quietly and lifted his head to look at the redhead. "Don't let him touch you." he wheezed out.

Erza nodded and turned back around to her opponent. She had absolutely no desire to have her magic stolen, but she had no other choice but to engage the man. Right now, she and Laxus were the only wall between life and death of everyone in the Tower.

Silva was now mere few meters away from them. His wounds and the aftershock of being hit by Laxus' lightning greatly slowed him down. Erza summoned a giant spear and threw it in Silva's direction, forcing the man to dodge it. Not even a second later, Laxus dropped to his knees and placed his hands on the floor, before electrocuting it and sending the sparks in the Commandment's direction. Forced to stop his charge, Silva jumped back and evaded the attack. While in the air, he noticed that Erza was no longer by the Dragon Slayer's side, and instead was in the air, directly above him. She clenched her sword as hard as she could and swinged it downwards, forcing Silva to put up his right arm to defend himself. Erza's blade made contact with his forearm, sinking into it, however nowhere near as deep as she anticipated. Suprised with his toughness, she tried to pull it out, only to feel that it was stuck. Before she could escape, she was struck in her right cheek by a powerful left hook from Silva, which rocked the knight and sent her flying towards the floor. Just before she could hit the ground, she flipped in the air and gracefully landed on her feet, sliding on the ground to kill the momentum, with Silva landing several feet away from her as well.

Erza spat out some blood to the side and wiped her mouth. "Is that enough, Laxus?"

Silva's eyes widened in suprise, as he heard weird crackling above him. When he looked up, he was met with the figure of a blonde-haired Dragon Slayer, his arms raised above his head, with an enormous ball of lightning held above his head.

"Yeah." he smirked, before bringing both his arms and the giant ball downwards, aiming it at Silva.

 _ **SECRET DRAGON SLAYER'S ART: SUN EMPEROR!**_

Silva was swallowed by a giant explosion of lightning, yellow light blinding everyone present on the floor. The floor beneath the man cracked into dozens of giant pieces, some of them standing up. Erza had no choice but cover her face to protect herself from the debris. Behind her, ignoring the ongoing battle, Juvia continued to work her magic in order to free Lucy from beneath a boulder that was on top of her. Carefully and slowly, she tried to lift the rock and prevent any additional damage to the blonde, and was now almost done. After couple more seconds, Juvia dropped the piece of debris aside, finally freeing the Celestial Mage. She then quickly got closer to the blonde and started to assess her damage, searching for anything serious.

"How is she?!" asked Erza, trying to be louder than the lightning.

After a short moment, Juvia replied. "I don't see anything serious, but she's unconscious!"

Erza took the news with a slight relief. She then shifted her attention back to the men, as Laxus' attack was finally over. He stood there, panting heavily, his eyes closing themselves out of exhaustion. He really gave it everything he had.

"Serves you right..." he wheezed out.

Not even a second later, Erza witnessed his body bending like a pocket knife and lifting off the ground, a large amount of blood escaping out of his mouth, as a fist planted itself deep into his stomach from inside the dust cloud. A moment later, the cloud dispelled, revealing an unscathed Silva, his face twisted in a quiet fury.

Unconscious, Laxus slid off Silva's fist and dropped onto his face before the Commandment, who condescendingly put his foot on the blonde's head, grinding it into the ground.

"Looks like you've finally learned your place." he said quietly, before putting his left hand up and catching Erza's strike from her Heaven's Wheel Armor with his bare hand, which shocked the woman. He then raised his hand and put it on her chest, before saying one word.

 ** _REPEL_**

Erza cried out in pain, as she flew backwards, her armor breaking into pieces. An excruciating pain took over her entire torso, leaving her unable to breathe. She landed on the ground and bounced off of it like a ball, before finally hitting a piece of debris with her back. She laid there, Silva's attack turning her into a gasping mess.

"How lucky you are, Erza Scarlet." she heard his voice and raised her head, sending him a hateful look. "Your **The Knight** would make a great addition to my collection. Fortunately for you, I'm out of space. If only I had met you two weeks earlier..."

The knight struggled to get up, but succeeded after a short moment. She could barely stand, but she couldn't give up. She was the only person left standing, and Juvia was too busy guarding the injured.

"Ahh!"

A cry of pain shook Erza right to the core, as she quickly snapped her head to the side. She felt her eyes widen in shock at the sight of Juvia slowly falling onto her face with blood gashing out of her now split back. Behind her stood a young woman with short brown hair, a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left, which she used to support her injured self.

Silva looked at the woman, his eyes narrowed. "Where have you been, Jolene?"

Jolene looked at her Master and gently bowed. "I had to give myself treatment after my battle, but I have now returned to your side,. to aid you in this battle."

Her entire body was covered in bandages, some of them bloodied. The cuts on her face were poorly stitched up, some of them still bleeding. She had a limp, which she supported with a giant shield in her left arm, as she stood above unconscious Juvia and Lucy, the rainwoman's blood still on her blade.

Erza growled in fury and threw herself at the woman, only to feel herself being struck in her left side, which sent her flying.

Natsu, who was also angry beyond his limit, tried to stand up to face The Arsenal. He managed to get on his feet, but that was the limit of his capabilities. Jolene smiled wickedly and kicked him in the stomach with her healthy leg, which sent him back onto the ground. She then licked her lips and walked up to the Dragon Slayer.

"Oh, how long have I waited for this moment." she whispered, before lifting her blade.

"Jolene."

Silva's voice sent shivers down her spine, as she quickly turned to her Master. "Keep your hands to yourself. He's mine."

Jolene bit her lip, clearly not fond of the idea, but complied nonetheless and gently bowed. "As you wish, Master."

She limped away from the pinkette and instead headed towards Juvia and Lucy. Seeing this, Erza quickly stood up and charged at the woman once again, picking up her sword on the way. Jolene merely smirked and grabbed Lucy by the hair. She then pulled the girl up and grabbed her neck with her arm, forcefully keeping the blonde on her feet, before putting up a blade to Lucy's neck.

"Not a step closer, Titania." chuckled Jolene.

Erza quickly stopped in her tracks and glared daggers at the woman, her teeth bared. "Let her go." she growled, her voice sounding much different than usual.

"Do you really think you're in any position to make demands?" mocked Jolene and pushed her sword up against Lucy's neck, a drop of blood flowing down her neck. "Drop your blade. Far."

Erza grit her teeth, but complied and threw her sword aside. In the meantime, Silva walked up to downed Natsu and stared him down.

"As I have told you many times, fate cannot be changed." he said to the pinkette, before stepping on his injured left arm. Natsu yelled out in pain and grabbed Silva's leg with his right hand, trying to get it off to no avail.

Erza was forced to listen to his cries, as despair started to take over her heart. She instinctively made a step in his direction, willing to help him, but Jolene had none of that, as she quickly pulled Lucy up in her arms and yelled out.

"One step closer and I'll open her up from ear to ear!" screeched Jolene, greatly enjoying the scene. Natsu's screams filled her with joy, joy she hasn't felt in years.

Natsu continued to yell, with Silva putting more and more pressure on his arm. Feeling tired of this form of torture, he took his foot off and gently kneeled down, before punching Natsu in the face. He then slowly struck him with his second hand, then back with his right, then again with left. He paused for a short moment, before repeatedly striking the downed Dragon Slayer, not using any sort of magic on purpose, in order to prolong his suffering.

"You brought this on yourself." he said, as he continued to pound Natsu's body. "If only you obeyed me and gave yourself up willingly, you wouldn't have to go through all this. Now, you'll suffer for destroying my dreams. I will make sure to keep it as creative and long as humanly possible."

With one final punch, Silva frowned with dissatisfaction. Despite landing multiple blows on the Dragon Slayer, he dealt little to no fresh damage to him. Not coating his fists with magic was foolish - the durability of Dragon Slayers was starting to annoy him.

All this time, Jolene continued to watch the spectacle in delight, with Erza struggling to stay in her spot. She couldn't stop tears flowing down her face from her left eye, as she cursed herself to her powerlessness. She watched Silva, who stood up from his spot and searched around the area. He then spotted the right tool to continue his torture and picked up Erza's sword, much to her horror.

"Stop it!" she cried out, her feet once again moving against her will. Just like before, Jolene was right there to stop her, only this time with much more joy.

"That's a great scream, Titania! I didn't know you had it in you!" she laughed maniacally, enjoying Erza's pain. She then calmed down a little and curiously looked at Lucy, before shifting her eyes back at Erza, her face twisting in a sinister smile. "I do wonder, how will you cry out when I kill this doll? I can't help myself but get curious."

"Don't!" yelled out the knight, much to the Commandment's enjoyment.

"C'mon, you can do better than that! Don't make me force it out of you!" screeched Jolene.

"You filth." growled furious Erza, but did not dare to move from her spot. She desperately tried to find a way out of this situation, as she also continued to observe Silva, who was now closing in on Natsu with her blade in his grip.

Jolene's face dropped. "I guess I really have to force it out of you. Try not to disappoint me."

Time froze. She dropped to her knees. Erza couldn't help but simply watch as Jolene pushed the blade up against Lucy's neck, ready and eager to slice it. In the meantime, Silva was now raising the blade in his hands and aimed its tip towards Natsu's left knee.

It was over. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way out of this situation. There was no one to inspire them, no one to save them. This was not a situation, where they were protected by any sort of moral code, or simple laws of mages. This was a life or death situation, and they had lost. When faced with these beasts without any sort of compassion or mercy, the only availble option was death.

Tears streamed down her face, and fell on top of her breasts. She let it happen again. People she considered family were about to die before her eyes, again. She was not strong enough to save them, again. To hell with overcoming her past, she couldn't even overcome the present. How can she trust herself, when she keeps failing those close to her?

"Sing for me, Titania." smiled Jolene for the last time before slicing Lucy's neck.

Like in slow motion, Erza felt her eyes widen in shock, her voice stuck in her throat, unable to make a sound. She quietly watched, as an ice spear made its way through Jolene's neck, drops of blood falling on the redhead's face.

"Huh?"

Jolene slowly lowered her eyes, only to witness something sticking out of her throat. Before she could react, she felt a sea of blood escaping out of her mouth, breath stopping in her lungs. She felt someone lean towards her ear, his raven hair tickling her face.

"Get your disgusting, filthy hands off my friends, you witch." growled livid Gray.

In one swift motion, he pulled his ice spear out of the woman's neck. Her blade and shield fell out of her hands along with Lucy, who was caught by the ice mage. The Arsenal brought her hands up to her neck and grabbed it, before slowly falling onto her knees, gargling with her blood. She desperately fought for breath, bubbles of blood forming in her mouth, as she sent her shocked Master one final look. She reached out to him in her last moments, and as her eyes grew misty and rid of light, she fell onto her face, dead.

Erza stared at the corpse in shock, before slowly shifting her gaze onto Gray. As her eyes made their way up to his face, her face changed into a concerned frown. As if expecting what he'll hear from her, Gray looked away and gently put Lucy down, before turning his attention to Juvia.

"It's not over yet." he reminded Erza, as he ripped the bluenette's jacked and applied pressure onto her wound.

Silva continued to stare at the scene in shock, before succumbing to rage.

"Every single one of you was a complete waste of my time." he growled. "I was a fool to believe any of you was worthy of my kindness. I should strip you all off your magic and leave you in the gutter, from where I picked you up and where you belong."

He then shifted his attention back to Natsu and raised the blade once again. "You're lucky, Salamander. You get to die early after all."

Before he could deliver the final blow, he spotted something with the corner of the eye. His body was consumed by a ball of flames, as it splattered all over the area, before revealing his uninjured, irritated figure. He looked in the direction the strike came from, his eyes landing on Erza, clad in her Flame Empress Armor, the remains of flames still decorating her sword.

"It seems like you wish to die first, Titania." he said. "It is a wish I will be more than glad to fulfill."

As she panted from exhaustion, Erza managed to crack a grin. "Who said I was aiming at you?"

This smirk played on the man's nerves far too heavily. However, just when he was about to strike back, Silva felt an iron grip on his throat, with his feet leaving the ground a second later. He instinctively put his hands on his oppressor's hand, which belonged to Natsu, who stared deep into Silva's eyes, his onyx irises filled with rage.

"How many people do you have to hurt before you're satisfied?" he growled, his grip increasing. Silva wiggled his feet in the air, air stuck in his sore throat. "Enough is enough, you scum!"

Natsu planted his fire coated fist deep into Silva's stomach, making the man cough up blood. He released his neck and allowed the man to fly backwards. Silva landed on his back few meters away and immediately stood up. He stared dumbfounded as Natsu straightened his back and sucked in all of the nearby flames, refilling his magic in the process. Once done, he sighed with relief and wiped his mouth, before staring at Silva with freshly found strength. The God couldn't help the shivers of fear run all over his body, which still remembered Natsu's overwhelming power from few minutes ago.

This was bad. His magic was starting to run out, and he was all out of pawns. Using five magics in such rapid fashion was bound to drain him, even with his inhuman resources. He carefully watched Natsu, who slowly made his way towards him. Even if a little bit of his magic returned, he was barely standing on his legs. One good strike was all he needed.

Silva exhaled and raised his hands in familiar fashion. Seeing this, Natsu bent his knees and quickly dashed at the man in order to deliver the first strike.

MAXIMUM...

Throbbing pain took over Silva's arms, preventing him from unleashing his attack. The drawbacks of earlier were still present, and he had no means of stopping them. Except one.

Swallowing his pride in order to ensure his survival, Silva decided to reach out to his final card, the one he never anticipated he'd be forced to use on himself. He loudly clapped his hands in front of his chest and kept them joined, his eyes closed. Natsu, unfamiliar with this move stopped in his tracks and carefully watched his opponent.

 _ **THE SNATCHER'S SIXTH MAGIC: REVERSE!**_

Green light covered Silva's entire body and after a short while disappeared. The man sighed in relief and opened his eyes, a small smirk forming on his face.

"I never thought I'd be using this magic on myself, Salamander. You really have pushed me to my absolute limits." he said. "But this farce is about to end. In a while, I will crush you into dust and pick up the remains of my ambitions. If I cannot do it with Zeref, I'll do it myself."

Natsu carefully watched the man, his eyes glued to the green aura surrounding his body. He didn't feel any difference in Silva, and yet his instincts screamed to him to be cautious. Just when he was about to ask the man out loud about his move, he felt his eyes widen in suprise, realisation kicking in.

Silva's injuries were slowly but surely regressing, his burns becoming paler and smaller. Noticing the pinkette's shock, Silva grinned.

"Reverse. The ability to rewind everything that happened to a single object, be it organic or solid. During the upcoming 180 seconds, I can rewind back 20 minutes of something's time, reverting it to its past state. The process is slow, but certain. In less than 3 minutes, my body will revert back to what it was like 20 minutes ago, filled with magic and completely rid of injuries."

Natsu bent his knees and lit up his hands. "In other words, I have 3 minutes to kill you."

Silva smirked. "You will not reach me ever again." he said, as he slowly lifted his right feet, ready to reconstruct the ground to his needs.

Just when he was about to charge at Silva, Natsu lifted his own right leg and stomped the ground, breaking it into hundreds of small pieces. Small pieces of debris flew all around the area, leaving Silva suprised. _He broke the ground to prevent me from using the ground to my advantage. Did he...?_

The Dragon Slayer charged at Silva, his fists lit aflame. The man calmed down and did not even bother guarding himself, ready to use his barrier at any time.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!_**

 ** _BARRIER!_**

Much to his shock, Silva felt his face being nailed by a powerful right straight, which blew his head back. Unable to comprehend what happened, he noticed Natsu readying up another attack and once again put up his barrier, only to be hit in the stomach. He slid on the ground and grit his teeth in pain, with Natsu standing in front of him, panting.

"What have you done?!" growled The God, before being consumed by flames once. This time, however, he didn't have enough time to guard himself and took the full extent of the blow.

"Titania!~" he roared and turned in Erza's direction, who fell onto her knees and dropped out of her armor. He put up his hand and aimed it at the redhead, Repel already forming in his palm.

He was interrupted by a kick to the face, which sent him flying backwards. He quickly stood up, his eyes landing on Natsu, who was now consuming the fresh flames. He sucked them all in and straightened himself up, even more magic returning to his body. Not a second later, he threw himself at Silva, who patiently awaited the strike.

 _Calm down, anger does not suit a God. There has to be some sort of a trick he's using in order to bypass my Barrier._

Silva put up his Barrier and watched as Natsu retracted his right arm and struck the magic. Realisation finally hitting him, Silva released the magic just when Natsu was about to bypass it again and caught the blow with his left hand, his body now clad in Body Enhancement Magic.

"So that's how it is." muttered Silva to himself. _His reason has returned to him. He has come up with countermeasures against my magics. This will be harder than I thought._

"You're keeping your flames sealed inside your body, keeping the strength of your blows but not letting magic leak out." analysed Silva, squeezing Natsu's hand. "It appears watching my battle with Dreyar and Scarlet has given you a hint."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. He knew what Silva's squeeze meant, his left arm still remembered it very well. Certain that the man had no means of blocking his magic anymore, Natsu let out his flames and struck Silva in the face, blowing him back. The man roared in agony and slid back on his feet, his hands immediately reaching out to his face. He glared at Natsu through his fingers and watched the pinkette follow him. Feeling that enough time has passed, Silva extended his arms before him and switched magics.

 ** _ATOMIC-_**

Throbbing pain took over his arms once again, reminding him that it was not the time yet. He was starting to panic. With **Reverse** still in effect, his healing was certain, but the more damage he took, the more he had to rewind. His **Air** and **Explosion Magics** were sealed, his **Barrier** was figured out and he could no longer manipulate the ground, due to having not enough space to work it. With his back against the wall, Silva realised the only way he could get through this situation right now was to play his opponent's game.

Maximizing the effect of his **Body Enhancement Magic** , Silva charged at Natsu as well. Both men retracted their fists and struck at the same time, their right hands making contact. A powerful shockwave of wind and flames spread all over the floor, pushing Erza and the rest back.

Silva was the first to break contact and threw a left hook at the pinkette, who ducked right under it, the strike sending air currents due to its strength. He responded with a right body blow, which was blocked by Silva's right hand. The man then tried to strike the Dragon Slayer with hi left once again, only to feel a foot on his chin, which pushed his head back. Natsu used this opportunity to strike Silva's exposed torso.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S TWIN IRON FIST!**_

With both of his hands, Natsu punched Silva's stomach and sent him back, a grimace of pain forming on the man's face. The pinkette quickly followed through and jumped in the air, before dropping his right leg on Silva's head. The God put up his arms just in time and guarded the strike, but Natsu pushed him with his legand send him sliding on the floor. Happy with his momentum. Natsu immediately ran after Silva and punched his exposed stomach, but this time, he didn't manage to push the man back. He then struck him with a left hook to the chin, but that didn't do anything either. Confused, Natsu stopped his barrage and took a careful look at Silva.

The man's face was slowly becoming rid of any damage, which reminded Natsu of his time limit. Silva smirked and struck Natsu in the face with a right hook, which blew the Slayer to the side. He then looked at his fist and clenched it a couple times, a smirk forming on his face.

"It appears it's starting to work." he said, before shifting his gaze back onto his opponent.

Salamander growled and strained his body to its limits, lightning and fire covering his body once again. Panic started to creep onto his neck as he threw himself at Silva, the man's recovery reminding him of how little time he has.

Seeing the yellow lightning surrounding the pinkette's body made Silva tense up. He put up his guard and waited for his chance to counter the overwhelming magic. He knew that Natsu was running on fumes and pure adrenaline, he could drop at any moment. Still, he was a dangerous threat and underestimating him would be a grievous mistake.

Silva blocked Natsu's fist with his Barrier, and then immediately followed through with a right straight, which was dodged. Natsu jumped behind Silva with suprising speed and tried to attack his lower back, only to feel his feet stop on an invisible wall. Silva twisted his palms backwards and aimed them at his opponent, before launching two big explosions in his direction. Natsu jumped out of the way just in time and kicked at Silva from above, catching him just before he could protect himself. The man jumped out of the way at the last second, but was too slow to completely dodge the Dragon Slayer. With his body still in the air, he helplessly watched Natsu charge at him, his right fist coated in fire and lightning. He clenched his teeth and awaited the strike.

Natsu's fist made contact with Silva's stomach, making him cough up blood and burning him. Natsu flexed his shoulder and pushed, sending Silva flying towards the ground. As his back planted itself into the surface, Natsu followed through by joining his hands above his head and bringing them down at the Commandment.

 _ **LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S JAW!**_

 _ **BARRIER!**_

At the last second, Silva blocked the attack, both elements leaking to the sides across the invisible wall. While watching the clash, Erza couldn't help but frown in confusion. Silva had more than enough time to block Natsu's previous strike, but instead took it. Was there a time interval between each use of his barrier?

Silva rolled out of the way and allowed Natsu to crash into the ground. As he slid on the broken surface, he kept his right hand in it and focused on the spot the pinkette was in. Just as dust cleared, Silva used his magic on the bigger pieces of debris and turned them into spikes, all of them aimed at Natsu. Salamander covered himself in his aura and effortlessly broke the spikes, charging at Silva a second later. With his arms now healed, the man put them in front of him and focused his magic in his palms.

 _ **MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER!**_

An enormous wave of wind flew in Natsu's direction, forcing him to jump upwards. Expecting this to happen, Silva positioned so that he was directly below Natsu and placed his hands on the ground.

 ** _AIR TOWER!_**

In front of Silva formed a tower of air slicers, all of them flying upwards towards their target. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Natsu lit his feet aflame and positioned himself out of the way of the attack. He then put his hands up above his head and formed a ball of lightning and flames, before throwing it at Silva. The Commandment jumped out of the way, with Natsu following after him. The God threw another big explosion at the pinkette, who ducked beneath it and caught up to the silverhead.

Both men engaged each other in a wild exchange of blows, with Silva using his **Body Enhancement Magic** and Natsu using both of his elements. Silva blocked Natsu's right hook and countered with a right straight, which the Slayer ducked under. He struck Silva's exposed liver and followed with a right uppercut, blowing the man's head back. Furious, Silva opened his palm and used an **Air Wave** from point blank range, only to miss completely. Natsu used this chance to strike his liver once again, this time twice in a row. His body buckling over, Silva managed to block Natsu's knee aimed at his chin at the last moment with his **Barrier**. The fire mage quickly put his leg back on the ground and threw a right hook, which was once again blocked. Silva put his hand in front of Natsu's face and landed a point blank explosion, effectively pushing him backwards. Fresh burns appeared on Natsu's face, but were far from enough to bring him down. Silva used this freshly acquired space to use another, bigger **Air Wave** , but his plans were spoiled with Natsu kicking him in the gut. Gritting his teeth in pain, Silva blocked Natsu's follow-up with his **Barrier** and jumped back. Seeing that Silva's feet left the ground, he powered up an charged after the man, successfully catching his torso with his head. Silva spat out blood and cried out in agony, before being blown away.

 _This bastard...he's noticed!_ panicked Silva in his mind and quickly stood up from the ground.

Seeing that Natsu would not stop chasing him no matter what, Silva decided to sacrifice his defense in exchange of raw power and speed. Maximizing the speed of his Body Enhancement Magic, Silva charged back, meeting Natsu in his own game. Both men engaged in another exchange of blows, but this time, Silva was much harder to hit, and landed more strikes than Natsu. With his magic and health slowly returning to him, Silva was becoming faster and stronger with each second, which started to show itself. Despite his both elements blasting at full throttle, his injuries and dropping magic power greatly crippled him.

Natsu spat out some blood after eating a nasty hook to his jaw and answered with one of his own, only to be dodged. Silva used this opportunity to kicked him in the stomach and push him away with a ball of air. He was then bombarded with a barrage of small, but slowing down explosions. Gritting his teeth, Natsu slowly started to walk towards Silva, guarding himself from the blasts with his arms. Seeing that his feet were not too far away from Silva's, he dropped his guard and struck at the man, only to hit nothing but air.

Silva put his hand on Natsu's back and marked it, before snapping his fingers and blowing his back. A brand new scorch formed itself on Natsu's back, but he simply sucked his teeth in pain and tried to ignore it. He turned around and stared at the man with animal fury, before charging at him in straight line, once again repeating the mistake that cost him his health on the top floor.

Silva calmly raised his right hand and smirked, certain of his victory. He released his combat magics and focused his magic in his palm, reaching out to all the absorbed power.

"It's over." he whispered.

 ** _REPEL!_**

Giant shockwave of all the absorbed strikes launched itself at Natsu, breaking and reducing everything on its path into dust. Silva watched in triumph, with Natsu still blindly charging into the attack, which was now mere few feet away. However, much to his shock, he noticed Natsu's knees slowly bending themselves, his figure leaning more and more towards the ground. Just before he could eat the shockwave, Natsu dropped to the floor on all fours so low he was just one centimeter away from laying down. He lowered his head and allowed the attack to go right above him, at it made its way across the floor and continued its destruction.

With Silva too shocked to muster any sort of a reaction, Natsu raised his head back up and launched himself at the man, his fist pulled back.

 ** _LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S FIRING HAMMER!_**

The Commandment took the full extent of the blow, a weird sound escaping his mouth along with blood, his ribs breaking like twigs. With one final grunt, Natsu pushed forward trying to send the man fly, but Silva had none of that. Reaching his absolute limits, he forced himself to stay in his spot, raspy, furious breaths escaping his mouth.

"ENOUGH!~" he roared and blasted Natsu away with his explosions. He then clasped his hands and put them on the ground, causing it to shake. "I will not tolerate this insolence any further!"

From beneath his crouching figure rose up a giant pillar, which raised him high in the air, his figure now covering the moon.

"I am a God! I will not be beaten by an extinct magic, held by someone whose life I own!"

Silva raised both of his hands above his head, his magic power raising in the process. "I will blast you all into oblivion! And after I'm done, I will take my time killing every single mage in this world, starting with your precious guild, Titania!"

Natsu growled in disgust, anger and exhaustion, but did not back down. He started to build up his remaining magic power, his aura slowly but surely growing. His entire body cried out in pain, but he had no time for that. If he failed, everyone here would die.

"What the hell is he doing?!" wondered Gray out loud. "Does he really think he will survive this?! And what's up with that pillar?!"

Erza slowly stood up. She knew exactly what was the purpose behind this ridiculous structure. Not only was it to distance himself from the blast and his enemies, but it was also his survival policy. Having watched his battle with Natsu, she came up to a major conclusion - that in order to activate his **Barrier** , he has to be immobile. In other words, his body has to remain on a solid surface. This foothold was his trump card in case anyone tried to prevent him from destroying the tower. And there were multiple someones who were more than willing to try.

"Gray!" she called out, trying to be louder than the wind, which was now starting to be unbearable. "Can you freeze this pillar?!"

The Maker looked at her in confusion but nodded. "Yeah, no problem. What are you planning to do?"

Erza grinned. "Take him down."

Not really getting her, Gray simply shook his head and punched his hand, before freezing the base of the pillar. In the meantime, Natsu bent his knees as low as he could and pushed upwards, launching himself towards Silva, the ground beneath his feet breaking like a thin layer of ice. He pulled his right hand behind and focused his entire magic in his fist, his fire almost white in color and his lightning crackling dangerously.

Noticing the man, Silva merely smirked. "You have already lost, Salamander! I told you, fate cannot be changed!"

At this moment in time, Silva was more than certain of his victory. Even if Natsu caught up to him before he completed his attack, he could always dispell it and protect himself from harm with his **Barrier**. After that, Salamander would fall to the ground, completely drained and at his mercy. With everyone else out of commission, this desperate fool was the only thing standing in his way, and with his demise, his victory was assured.

Erza roared from exhaustion, but managed to Requip back into her red pants. Holding Benizakura tightly, she focused every single remaining bit of magic power she had and launched herself at the frozen pillar.

Above her, Natsu was now mere few meters away from Silva. The man was already dispelling his attack, a condescending, wicked grin glued to his face.

With everything she had, Erza struck the structure, successfully cutting right through it. The pillar started to tilt itself to the right, no longer able to support itself, as it started to break under its weight.

With his hand extended in front of him, Silva couldn't contain his feelings. "Turn into dust, Salamander!" he screeched in triumph. However, just mere milliseconds away from activating his **Barrier** , he felt his feet losing contact with their foothold. His eyes widening in shock and terror, he noticed his creation crumbling beneath his feet, as it started to fall to the ground. With his body now completely suspended in air, he couldn't help but simply watch the enraged Dragon Slayer close up on him, his retracted fist slowly starting to travel in his direction.

With his onyx eyes filled with hate, fury, determination, duty and will to protect those who supported him during this tough journey, Natsu stared down Silva's very soul, filling him with fear he'd never felt in his entire life. Painful memories from 7 years back flooding into his mind, Natsu couldn't help the tear that found its way out of his right eye. He clenched his teeth and fist as hard as he could, before throwing it at Silva.

 ** _LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S JUDGEMENT HAMMER!_**

His cry was loud, his voice broken and hoarse. His fist made contact with Silva's left side of his head, almost immediately knocking him out. Fire and lightning blew up around both men, surrounding them in the colorful aura. Driving his fist downwards, Natsu let out a deafening roar and pushed with all his might, sending Silva flying towards the ground. The man crashed into the floor and broke right through it, falling onto Third Floor. His body broke the ground, splitting it in two giant pieces that raised themselves up, with Silva's defeated figure lying in the very center, his arms and legs sprawled to the side like a ragdoll, his eyes completely rid of pupils and his face twisted in agony.

Completely drained, Natsu allowed himself to fall, crashing into the floor right next to Erza. The redhead quickly walked up to him, worried about his state. Feeling weight get off her chest, he saw his exhausted figure panting heavily in its spot. She couldn't help but smile at him, not sure why herself.

"It's finally over." she told him.

Natsu looked at her through his half opened eyes and sucked his breath in. He slowly stood up to his feet and started to walk towards the fresh hole, passing Erza by.

"No, it's not. He's not dead yet."

The knight quickly frowned in worry. She watched him walk away from her, before throwing herself after him and firmly grabbing his right arm.

"Stop it, Natsu. It's over. He's been bested, there is no need for further violence." she tried to reason with him.

He forcefully ripped his arm out of her grip. "As long as he's still breathing, it's not over."

Erza grit her teeth in anger. She wasn't angry at him, but at the situation as a whole.

"Don't you remember what you've told me on our way here? How killing that man yesterday gave you absolutely nothing, but made you hate yourself? Are you willingly trying to lose yourself?"

"It's none of your business." he growled.

Erza snapped. In one move she grabbed his right collarbone and forcefully turned him around, making him look her in the eye.

"It _is_ my business!" she screamed. "I've been where you are right now, I know what it feels like! You don't care about anything, or anyone, as long as you get what you want! What you want is pointless and hurtful! Not only to yourself, but those who care about you!"

"And who would that be?" he asked her rhetorically, not expecting an answer.

"Me!" she roared into his face, hers now mere centimeters away from his.

This one word shook Natsu, leaving him with his mouth slightly agape.

"I finally get it now. We are two sides of the same coin. We both come from the same place, and we both went through the same hardships, but our ways split up after meeting someone willing to give us a chance. I've been saved years ago, but you are still lost. Let me be the person to help you!"

Natsu stared at her, confused. He couldn't muster a single word, so he simply listened to the knight.

"Someone very close to me, someone I own my life to once told me, that we have to be willing to change. I was just like you, ready to throw myself into darkness, and one of my legs was already deep in it. But I was saved! Yours is still there, stuck, sinking deeper and deeper with each second!"

She was now crying. And unlike before, not with just her left eye, but her right one as well.

"If you kill this man, you will go to a place where I won't be able to reach you. Don't let them control you any further! You are free, we both are! Tonight, in this place, our nightmare has ended! So just take my hand, let me help you!"

He gently grit his teeth. "So what do you want me to do? Forgive him, leave him alive after all he's done?!"

Erza shook her head. "No. Forgiveness has its limits, and they have greatly crossed them. But you don't have to stain yourself any longer. They will all face justice for what they've done."

Natsu dropped his head, still not entirely convinced of her idea. Seeing this, Erza took a deep breath to calm herself down and let him go.

"Do what you feel is right. If you decide to take my hand, I will give it with gladness. If you feel that ending his life is the only answer, do it. I will not intervene any longer."

He clenched his fist and stared at it. Conflicted was not a suitable enough word to describe how he felt right now. He still remembered the burning pain he's been put through all these years ago, images of the terrible things he witnessed during last seven years started to roll before his eyes like a movie. His friends being blown up just few hours ago right before his eyes, all the people that were now injured because of him.

He started to shake. Killing him was the only way to pay all those atrocities back, the only way to make it right to all of them. Yes, killing Silva was the only answer, and yet, just when he was about to make a step towards the man, he stopped. A quiet voice in the back of his head started to make him doubt his way. Was it really right? Was killing the very man responsible for all this horror the only option?

Yes, yes it was.

 _But was it really?_

Yes.

 _Are you sure?_

Yes.

 _But the feeling you felt after killing Grigol, did you enjoy it?_

No.

 _Do you want to feel it again?_

No.

 _But you still want to kill Silva?_

Yes.

 _What about her?_

What about who?

 _Sis. What would she do in this situation? How would she feel about it?_

Natsu's eyes snapped open. He remembered her bright, kind face, and could actually hear her voice in his ears, and as he recalled Erza's words from a moment ago, the answer formed itself.

She'd try to stop me. She'd try to help me. Just like her.

No longer able to keep his emotions inside, Natsu roared into the sky in confusion, anger and powerlessness. After a short while he stopped and slowly turned around to face Erza.

"I can't." he whispered to her, his eyes closing themselves on their own from exhaustion.

She managed to crack a small smile at him. "I see."

Suddenly, his eyes lost their focus, and he started to fall onto his face.

"Natsu!" she called out and caught him before he could fall. She supported his weight with her body and slowly dropped to her knees along with him, allowing him to lean in on her figure. She gently wrapped her arms around his figure and lightly hugged him, closing her own eyes as well.

"Thank you." she whispered into his ear, and as she sat there with him in her arms, she heard the familiar sound of Christina hovering in the air just above them.

The battle was over. Their nightmare has ended. They had won.

* * *

Few hours after Silva's defeat, Makarov, along with his rescue party and multiple Council ships have arrived at the scene. After the initial shock of the state the battleground was in, the Council quickly attended to all the injured. Mira, Laxus, Gajeel and Juvia, who were in critical state, were tended to by Council doctors along with Wendy, who put everything she had on the line in order to save them.

The freed slaves were immediately loaded onto a separate ship and sent straight to a hospital, in order to check their health and tend to those too weak to move on their own. Before they could leave, however, they all expressed their gratitude to Lucy, who came by some time before the reinforcements arrived and almost crushed her to death with a warm group hug.

During the battle, two Commandments have perished. Jolene and Dryden's bodies were taken away straight away, with an order to burn them falling almost immediately. The remaining Commandments have been cuffed with Anti-Magic Cuffs and treated in order to ensure their survival during the journey back to the Council, where they were to be trialed. Erza couldn't help but frown sadly as she watched Jellal being taken away, the image of her old friends still stuck in her mind.

Natsu, who was also ordered to be captured, did not even fight back, He willingly allowed himself to be escorted by Rune Knights, who did not even bother cuffing him, mostly because of the state he was in. It took Makarov everything he had to calm Erza down and beg her for patience.

A day later, Council blew up the tower with over a ton of lacrima explosives, reducing it into a pile of rubble. In order to completely destroy it, the entire island was set in flames, turning this cursed place into ashes.

* * *

 **Three days later, November 27th, Fairy Tail Guild  
**

The memories of the battle were still fresh, mostly because of the scars left on everyone who was present in the Tower that night.

Mirajane, who was now able to walk on her own, sat in her chair in the guild and repeatedly clenched and relaxed her fist, frowning. Because of setting her hand aflame during her fight with Dryden, her nerves received serious damage that could not be repaired fully, and in result, her hand would stiffen get "jam" for a moment, which greatly annoyed her. It was also covered in scars, which could not be simply overlooked by a naked eye. Although she knew the consequences of her actions, the fact her hand would never be as functional as before pained her.

Although Lucy did not receive any serious injuries in her battle, she was still shaken up by the feeling of being stripped off her will. The constant nightmares forcefully kept her awake, slowly but surely driving her insane. If it hadn't been for Loke and everyone else's support, she'd have broken down already.

Laxus laid in his bed and frowned while looking out the window. Facing those two beasts reminded him that despite his already impressive strength, there was always someone out there, standing on a higher level. Cursing his luck and powerlessness, he swore never to allow himself to feel so miserable ever again. It was time to shape himself up even more.

Gajeel limped through the guild, a crutch in his hand and a frown on his face. He didn't like it, not one bit. He got hit ass kicked not once, but twice, and because of that, others had to deal with his problems. Despite being covered in new scars, with the most noticeable ones being those on his thigh and shoulder, his pride received damage he doubted would ever recover. But he was more than willing to help it out.

Juvia tried to avoid him, feeling guilty of what happened. But after three days of trying, she broke. She slowly walked up to him and shyly sat right in front of him, afraid he will tell her to go away. He just sat there, reading his magazine, not even looking at her.

"What's up?" asked her Gray in a bored tone.

Juvia was slightly taken back by his carefree approach, but did not falter.

"I wanted to apologize."

Gray frowned and looked at her from over his magazine. "For what?"

After a short pause, she spilled it out. "Because of me, you had to do something terrible. I will never be able to answer for this sin. If only I paid attention, and didn't let that woman sneak up on me..."

In one quick move, he threw his magazine aside and leaned forwards, grabbing her by the collar. He grit his teeth in anger and stared deep into her eyes, slightly scaring her.

"Don't you dare." he hissed. She blinked at him in confusion. "Don't you dare blame yourself for this. This was all my fault. It happened because of me. Don't you dare take it all upon yourself!"

The last sentence was a scream, and as she watched him in shock, she noticed tears running down his face, his voice breaking. "If only I had been stronger..."

Almost as if by instinct, she quickly stood up and wrapped her arms around him, tightly hugging him to her figure. He didn't reject her like he was so used to. This time, he succumbed to her warm figure and hugged her back, allowing himself to let it all out. Something he needed for a very long time.

* * *

 **November 28th, Magic Council HQ, Era**

Makarov was now standing in front of the Chairman and many other Council members, an image he's seen not so long ago. This time, however, he was here in a different matter.

"Words cannot express how happy I am to see you well and healthy again, Chairman." said the elder with a gentle bow.

Gran Doma nodded in gratitude. "I am as well. I feel like I have awakened from a very long nightmare. A nightmare that you, my friend, have put an end to. I cannot express how thankful I am."

Makarov shook his head. "It wasn't me. My kids deserve all the praise. I simply broke in and caused even more chaos."

Gran Doma gently chuckled. "I guess now we know who they take after."

Both men shared a gentle laugh,. before Gran Doma cleared his throat and struck the floor with his staff.

"Unfortunately, we are not here to joke around, but discuss the damage dealt by Seven Commandments. I think it's fair that I start with myself. My weakness almost led to not only the destruction of the Council, but the entire magic world as well. For that, there is nothing I can do to repent."

Murmurs filled the hall. Makarov frowned sadly. He expected this to happen, but it still pained him.

"Therefore, today will be my last day as the Chairman. I will resign by midnight and pass my title onto Sage Org."

Shocked gasps echoed across the hall, along with outraged calls of disagreement. The Chairman ignored them and turned to shocked Org. "Would you be willing to fill my shoes, old friend?"

Although shocked, the elder bowed. "It would be my honor."

Gran Doma nodded and struck the floor once again, silencing the ruckus. He looked around the hall in search of anyone else willing to speak out, and seeing none, he addressed Makarov once again.

"The people retrieved from the Tower have been successfully treated. We managed to reunite some of them with their families, but unfortunately, the rest has nowhere to go. The Council will take care of that, and we will make sure to secure them a fruitful future, where they can live in peace."

Makarov nodded. "I will relay this information to Lucy and Juvia. They are the girls responsible for freeing them."

"There's also the matter of all the guilds who took a part in this ridiculous farce regarding the bounty. They will be visited by an official from the Council, and given a necessary payment, in order to secure all the caused property damage. That applies to Fairy Tail as well."

The tiny Master sweatdropped. He had no desire to correct this mistake and tell the Chairman that it was Ntaus who broke down his door, not his men.

"Although I think it goes without saying, the order to disband Fairy Tail has been lifted. If it hadn't been for you and your members, the world of magic would receive grim damage. After this terrible stain on our reputation, the world doesn't believe in us anymore. We must do everything in our power to ensure, that such tragedy never happens ever again." continued Gran Doma, with many members mutterring their agreement.

Makarov bowed down once again. "Thank you for your kind words, however we do not deserve all the praise. If it hadn't been for our outside help, we wouldn't be able to help." He then lifted his head to look into Gran Doma's eyes. "Therefore, I ask you to reconsider shortening the sentences of Six Generals. It was thanks to their intel that I was able to confirm my suspicions."

Gran Doma stared back at the elder. "This matter will be discussed at a later date, however, I give you my word, that they will not be forgotten."

Makarov nodded. "There's also the last matter left to discuss, and I think we both know who I'm talking about."

The Chairman exhaled through his nose. He expected this topic to come up, but it still felt wrong to talk about it.

"It'd be yet another stain on our honor if I undermined his role in this victory. If it hadn't been for Salamander, Seven Commandments would have accomplished their plan, and at a much faster rate. However..."

Makarov closed his eyes. He knew that this conversation would not be easy, and this pause was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Years of constantly breaking the law, hurting and killing people, along with his affliction to the Underground. That cannot be simply overlooked, no matter how good of a deed he did. He will remain in his cell and await his trial."

Makarov hung his head. He knew that no matter how hard he argued, the decision would not be overturned. Still, he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"Is what I'd have said under normal circumstances." finished Gran Doma, greatly shocking everyone present in the hall. The Chairman then faced Makarov.

"Makarov Dreyar. Your guild is famous for being full of sketchy, violent young mages, who for some reason have some of the most golden hearts you could find in Fiore. Whether it's your influence, or your sixth sense that resolves around bringing the best out of them, is not really for me to decide. Therefore, I have come up with a proposition."

"Chairman, you can't seriously think of releasing this criminal?!" yelled outraged Michello.

"I'd like to remind you, Michello, that this criminal is quite possibly the only reason you're still standing here." threw in Belno.

This appeared to shut the short man up, as he fumed quietly and sat back in his place. Gran Doma then turned back to Makarov and continued.

"What do you say? Would you be willing to hear me out?"

* * *

Erza nervously paced around the hallway, her arms crossed on her chest, as she repeatedly tapped her left bicep with her fingers. Lost in thoughts, she didn't even notice the door opening, with Makarov walking out. She snapped out of her trance and ran up to him, but before she could ask him the question he knew all too well, he raised his hand, signalising her to stop.

"Wait here. I'll be back in a moment."

That did not seem to satisfy her, but she nodded nonetheless and walked up to the window, before jumping onto a windowsill, her legs hanging off the edge.

Makarov followed his Rune Knight down the familiar stairs, both of them walking towards the jail. Not even few minutes later, he found himself in front of a door. He stepped aside to allow the guard to open it and stepped inside as soon as he could. He heard the door closing behind him, with the clank of a key turned in the lock echoing across the small room.

Makarov's eyes laid on a young man with pink hair, and he immediately felt himself being taken over by anger. Anger not aimed at the boy, gods no, but at the state he was in.

He was currently on his knees, his hands raised high above his head and cuffed tightly, his torso suspended, which prevented him from laying down. His injuries were barely treated, his entire body still covered in burns and cuts. Although he was given a new set of pants, his torso was naked, along with his feet.

Gritting his teeth and trying to prevent himself from going back up and giving those old fools a piece of his mind, Makarov walked up couple steps towards the youngster.

Natsu slowly lifted his head up and looked at the elder. "Last visit before my execution?" he asked weakly.

"Not execution, but life imprisonment." replied the elder. "But it's all up to you."

Natsu frowned. Makarov internally cursed himself for this poor choice of words and decided to start over.

"Although we've met few days ago, I doubt you remember me." he said. "Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's Third Master."

Natsu did not respond for a short moment. "Natsu. Natsu Dragneel."

Makarov looked at his, slightly suprised. This was the first time he heard the boy's full name. Before, he introduced himself with just his nickname.

"Well then, Natsu. I guess there is no use in prolonging this any further."

Natsu blinked slowly and kept his eyes on Makarov's old face.

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be imprisoned for life. I think it's nothing new to either of us."

The pinkette smiled sadly. Of course. He expected it for some time now, but hearing it in person still hurt.

"But, as I said, that would be only under normal circumstances. And they are quite abnormal, if you ask me."

Now he was confused. Just what the hell was this old man talking about?

"In gratitude for your actions, you were given a second chance. You have two options: you can either stay here for the rest of your life, or come with me, and join my guild under very strict restrictions and rules. Your entire life would fall onto my shoulders and I'd be responsible for every single one of your actions. So, what do you say? Wanna bust out of here?" he finished with a grin.

Natsu's eyes widened. Did he hear it right? He could either stay here or join a guild? Was this some sort of a prank?

"You serious?" he asked.

Makarov nodded. "As serious as humanly possible. You could consider it house arrest, if you'd like. For the upcoming 5 years, I will have to deliver monthly reports of your activity. I will also be responsible for your actions during your work, time off and time spent in the guild. Your entire being will be my responsibility, that I will have no choice but watch over. _If_ you decide to take my offer, that is."

Natsu frowned. Why? Why was this man willing to go this far for a stranger?

"How can you ask me to join your guild?" he shot, confusing Makarov. "I hurt your members back in Blackhill."

"Yes, that you did." said Makarov. "But even if I wanted to, I am in no position to blame you for it. I sent them after you myself. If I was angry at you for defending yourself, I'd be a fool. And before you ask, none of them blame you for what happened either. They all came prepared."

It still didn't sit right with him.

"Besides, even if I did blame you for that incident, you'd have paid it with what you did in the Tower. It's because of you Lucy and Juvia are alive." added Makarov.

At the sound of Lucy's name, Natsu's face twisted into a frown, that went unnoticed by the elder due to how dark it was in the room. "Why would you go this far for someone like me?"

"Because I've met many troubled young people during my life, some of them you've already met yourself. It's one of my worst habits, but one I am most proud of. I simply can't turn my back on someone, who's in dire need of help. And you, my boy, are one of them." answered Makarov. A moment later, he looked to the side, a little troubled and scratched the back of his head with his hand. "That and Erza kept pesterizing me for the past 4 days."

Natsu's eyes widened at the sound of her name. "Erza..."

Makarov cleared his throat and extended his right hand in Natsu's direction. "This is not me saving you, or pitying you. This is me showing you a new, better path. Whether you take it, is up to you. You've spent too much time suffering on your own, the time for you to finally start living has come. I know that after the Tower, you believe there is nothing left for you in this world, but despite your beliefs, you still have a lot left to do, do you not? After all, that dragon will not find himself on his own."

Natsu's eyes snapped wide open. "How do you know about Igneel?!"

Makarov laughed at this sudden reaction. "Gajeel and Wendy were also raised by dragons, so I figured out that was the case with you as well. Looks like I was right."

His expression then turned serious, his hand still extended. "So, what do you say?"

The Dragon Slayer lowered his head. Did he really deserve this? Did he really deserve to receive such an opportunity? He never thought about life, or what he'd do after his confrontation with Silva. But, if he really had a chance to start fresh, if he really could let go of everything and rid himself off his chains, then...

He raised his head and looked into Makarov's eyes, his burning with new found resolve.

* * *

Erza was now angry. It's been over an hour since she was told to wait in the hallway, and since then she was ordered to wait outside. No matter how bad of a sense of time her Master had, "A moment" should never, ever last an hour. Fed up with waiting, she turned around towards the entrance, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

"Yo, Erza! Sorry it took so long!" he greeted her in the door, with few drops of sweat on his face. Despite his status, he knew he was screwed.

The knight sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, a sign that she was about to spill out on the poor soul that was chosen as her target. "Master, I..."

Before she could start, she felt her voice stop in her throat, because now, directly behind Makarov stood Natsu, clad in a borrowed Council jacket.

"Hey, Erza." he greeted her weakly, raising his right hand in the process.

Erza looked at Makarov in search for answers, but the elder simply showed her a peace sign and grinned. "Welcome our newest member, Natsu Dragneel!"

She still couldn't believe it. She slowly walked up to him, her brown eyes glued to his onyx irises. He looked terrible, but alive. Alive and out of his cell. That's all that mattered to her.

"Hey." she said back. "I see they let you out."

"Yeah. I could either stay there or join your guild, terrible choices no matter how I look at it."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "You have no idea."

Her right hand glowed in bright light, which blinded Natsu. After a short moment, he felt a familiar, warm sensation on his neck, with his scarf gently wrapped around his neck.

"I picked it up back in the Tower. I thought it was important, so I picked it up." she smiled.

He caressed the material. He didn't even realise how much he missed it until he finally got it back. He couldn't help but look at the redhead and give her quite possibly the warmest and widest smile she's seen from him thus far.

"It is. Thanks, Erza."

Taken back a little, she quickly recovered and smiled as well, her cheeks slightly red. "You're welcome."

For a moment they stood there, smiling at each other, before Makarov's coughing reminded them of his presence.

"I hate to break the moment, but we better leave. Our last train leaves in couple minutes."

Embarrassed, Erza nodded and walked behind Makarov, with Natsu following them.

After some arguing, Erza gave up and decided to trust Makarov's judgement. He decided to walk to the next train station, where they were supposed to catch a train that would get them home few hours earlier, than the one from Era. They walked through the forest outside of the town in silence, before Natsu stopped in his tracks. He looked around the area, his face frowned. Seeing this, Erza stopped and turned around to face him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked him.

Now fully convinced of where he was, he didn't even answer her, and instead threw himself in a mad dash through the bushes. Confused with his behavior, Erza followed him. She called out to him multiple times, but he did not reply to her voice. She jumped out of the bushes and passed by a ruined shed, following him into the wilds once again. After couple minutes of running, she stopped just by a tree that stood next to a river, panting heavily. She watched Natsu's back, as he stood by the river, his eyes glued to a big stone that was placed in the ground.

She wanted to call out to him, to ask him what the hell was that about, but for some reason, she couldn't. She simply watched him, as he squatted in front of the stone and smiled at it.

"Hey, Sis. Haven't been here in a while. Sorry for that, I was...busy. And not the good kind."

He took a deep breath and continued. "You probably despise me right now. Can't say I blame you, I've been a real asshole for the past seven years. Hell, you'd probably smack me for that one word alone. I know I've never been a good kid. Never listening, always causing trouble. And trust me, I haven't changed one bit. I'm still the same reckless idiot who made you worried sick. But, I guess you already know all about it."

He shifted his gaze at the sky. "I've spent over seven years in the dark. I've become the very man you hate the most. I did horrible things and selfishly tried to justify them with justice. Man, it really is embarrassing when I say it out loud. I know I'll never be able to make up for all of them, no matter how hard I try. But I managed to do something, that I'd never expected to do. I accepted someone's help."

His voice broke, but he tried to remain strong. "I know I've already did one, terrible thing I'll never be able to repent for, but I managed to stop myself from repeating this mistake. I reached out to a hand that was given to me and allowed it to pull me out. You did use to say, that when someone offers us their help, it is only natural to take it, and later return the favor. I know it took me seven years to let it happen, you don't have to remind me - I've always been a slow learner. But, that's what I'm going to do."

He lost. His eyes started to water, as he desperately tried to stop himself. "Despite everything I'd done, despite disappointing you so many times. Hell, you've probably spent the last seven years not sure whether to hate me or worry about me..."

Natsu was now quietly sobbing to himself, his eyes stinging. "So, despite all that, after all these years, I hope I managed to make you proud, for the first time ever. And although I failed to save the others, I will make it up. Not just to you, but all the others as well. I will live on, and continue to make you proud."

Erza was now in tears as well. She stood few meters away, not daring to walk up to him. She had no place there.

Natsu wiped his face off and smiled at the tombstone. "That's why I will start anew. I will take the chance given to me and leave everything behind. I won't let it all drag me down any longer."

He walked up to the side and picked up some flowers. He then placed his poor excuse of a bouquet on the grave and smiled one more time.

"Just you watch." he grinned at the tombstone and turned around, his eyes landing on Erza. She didn;t day anything, but instead wiped her face off as well. She smiled at him when he walked up to her.

"Let's get back. Master Makarov has probably plucked out his remaining hair when we both ran off. Getting in trouble on your very fist day in the guild? You will fit right in." she chuckled.

He smiled at her. "I think I will." He then turned back around and sent one final look at the tombstone. His smile widened, with one final stone finally off his chest.

His new life has just begun.

 **End of Chapter 14. To be continued in Chapter 15: Settling In.**

* * *

 **Aaand finish. God, I really do hope I didn't butcher the ending, it's one of the hardest things in every story and ruining it is relatively easy.**

 **I know some of you may have an issue with Erza crying way too much in this story. And you're right, but my Erza, as I have stated many times already, is different from canon Erza. She's not afraid to show her feelings and with the Tower finally gone, along with her fears, she's a fre woman. So cut her some slack, will ya :D**

 **You might be confused about Silva and his magic. And it's totally okay, that's why I will now list all of the Commandments, along with their magics and their use.**

 **1st Commandment, The God; Silva. Magic: The Snatcher - the ability to steal someones magic and store it inside of the thief's body. It can be used for personal use, or passed on onto other people. The user can store up to 6 magics and use one at a time. In order to steal a magics, physical contact is needed, along with knowledge of how to use it, its limits, its nature and name.**

 **Magics stolen with The Snatcher:**

 **Explosion Magic**

 **Air Magic**

 **Barrier - the ability to block all magical attacks and store their power in a separate dimension. The user can draw this absorbed power out whenever he so desires and use it to attack his opponents. To use it, the user has to remain immobile and the attack must be heavily dependant on magic. Physical attacks will not be blocked.**

 **Rebuild - the ability to reconstruct solid materials according to the user's will. In order to do so, the user must have physical contact with the rebuilt object and must know what its built of and what type of a material it is. His creations are limited to the size of the original material.**

 **Body Enhancement Magic - the ability to boost all physical attributes a human can possibly have, such as speed, power and endurance. The usage is entirely dependant on the user, and can be molded into multiple styles of fighting.**

 **Reverse - the ability to rewind up to 20 minutes of the target's time. It can be used to heal wounds, repair something, or revert something to its previous state. The regression process takes up to 3 minutes, and the more damage has to be rewinded, the less effective it becomes. It cannot be used to bring back the dead.**

 **2nd Commandment, The Time; Arthur. Magic: Sphere - at the cost of his heartbeat, the user can freeze everything around him, giving the false illusion of frozen time. The magic remains active as long as the user's heart is stopped. Maximum time of usage without any health complications - 20 seconds.**

 **3rd Commandment, The Heavens; Jellal. Magic: Heavenly Body Magic.**

 **4th Commandment, The Armor; Dryden. Magic: TakeOver. Killed by Mirajane Strauss  
**

 **5th Commandment, The Arsenal; Jolene. Magic: Requip. Killed by Gray Fullbuster  
**

 **6th Commandment, The Body; Grigol. Magic: Body Enhancement Magic. Killed by Natsu Dragneel  
**

 **7th Commandment, The Mind; Luppi. Magic: Brainwash - this ability allows the user to alter people's memories, control minds of other people, turning them into obedient puppets, telepathy between two people: the user and its target, the complete destruction of someone's mind and transferring minds of other people to different bodies. The two last usages are heavily draining and can lead to death is used incorrectly. The bigger the strain on the user, the more nauseous they become, which greatly cripples the full capabilities of this magic.**

 **Well, with that said, I'm out. Let me know whether you enjoy the chapter, and have a great Sunday!(or it's remaining few hours...heh). Cya!**


	16. Settling In

**Sorry it took so long to put this up, I wanted to take a longer break and do some research. I am currently coming up with matchups for Tenrou Arc, along with other important stuff and man, I think you all are gonna love it. There are two major battles that have been altered by yours truly, so stay tuned for that.**

 **This chapter is slightly slower, since it's the "meantime" between two major arcs, so do bear with me if it slightly bores you. I've also decided to keep non-battle oriented chapters to 7-9,000 words - I'm pretty sure you all got tired of my 12,000 long bricks.**

 **I also tried to draw Natsu, based on his appearance from this chapter. Here's the link (imgurdotcom/921978Ndotjpg)  
**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter and leave them reviews and PM's!**

* * *

 **December 1st, Fairy Tail Guild**

The first day of December came with a bang, with the snow strongly hitting against the windows of the guild.

The building was almost full, with every present member trying to warm themselves up in the building, the pleasant addition of liquor that decorated each table greatly boosting the sensation, all of them crowded. However, there was a slight problem with those tables. They were all full on only one side of the hall.

On the other sat a lone man, clad in his brown military pants, black combat shoes, a black jacket with a small spot cut out on his right shoulder where his red guild mark was placed, his white scarf lazily wrapped around his neck, and his messy hair as always sticking out in each direction.

Natsu lazily lifted his glass and took a sip, at the same time trying not to wet his bandages that covered the majority of his face. He put the glass down and looked around the guild. It felt weird being here. He was used to scruffy, dark taverns and pubs, where he stayed only when there was a job available. The constant presence of people made him feel uneasy, suffocated him even. He knew exactly why people avoided him, but he was glad they did. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling of someone's eyes glued to his back, which slightly irritated him.

Lucy, who was sitting on the other side of the hall along with her team and the Strauss siblings continued to stare at the Slayer. She then turned back to her friends.

Erza, who was currently drinking her cup of tea, had her eyes closed and looked relatively relaxed. Ever since they came back from the Tower, she wasn't seen in her armor even once, which shocked the whole guild. She was clad in a white, sleeveless shirt and a blue skirt, with her usual high black boots covering her feet. Although she felt slightly awkward at first, she came to like her new outfit and made it her new, civil look. However, despite this change, her hands were covered by white gloves, which in comparison to the rest of her clothes, looked slightly weird. Although she showed her scars to Gray and Lucy, she didn't want others to know about them, mostly to avoid questions. The scars she received from Natsu, however, were out for everyone to see, both of her forearms covered in pink, short lines.

"Are you fine with him being all alone like that?" Lucy asked Erza, nodding at Natsu at the same time..

The knight gently put down her cup and looked at the blonde. "I've already told him that he is more than welcome to sit with us. If he wishes to be alone, so be it. I am not his babysitter, Lucy." she replied calmly.

Gray, who was reading his magazine, looked up from behind the paper. "You say that, but you can barely sit in your chair." he said to Erza, watching her trembling figure with slight amusement. He looked back to his lecture just in time to avoid daggers sent his way by her eyes.

It was obvious to everyone at the table, that Erza was struggling to not walk up to Natsu, but no one was brave or stupid enough to say it out loud.

Lucy sighed. "Fine, I'll go. I have to talk to him anyway."

With that said, she stood up from her seat and crossed the guild, finding herself right by Natsu's table. He didn't even look at her, his eyes glued to his glass.

"Hey." she smiled at him.

"Hey." he replied after a long pause, mostly not to leave her hanging.

"I just wanted to talk to you, and this is the first time I could approach you since we got back." she continued, not discouraged by his lack of interest.

"Okay." he mumbled and took a sip from his glass.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did back in the tower, for me and Juvia. You didn't have to, but you saved our lives." said Lucy. "If there's anything I can do to repay the debt, feel free to ask."

Natsu froze for a moment after receiving the girl's gratitude. He then slowly put down his glass and looked at her.

"Don't thank me." he growled. He then looked away and added "You can pay the debt back by leaving me alone."

Lucy looked at him, slightly shocked at his cold response. Her smile faded away, now replaced with a small frown. "Okay, then. Sorry for disturbing you."

She went back to her table and sat down in her spot, her good mood gone.

"What a jerk." murmured Wakaba from a nearby table.

"Did he really have to treat her that way? She didn't do anything wrong." added Macao.

"Why did Master even let this guy in?" threw in someone else in the back.

Gray listened to the whispers and without looking at Lucy, said "Well, now you know why no one wants to be around him."

Lucy looked at the Slayer one more time. "Did I do something to upset him?" she asked in a low voice.

Erza couldn't help but wonder herself. Although he kept his distance from everyone, Lucy's case was much more serious, even when she wasn't around.

Elfman continued to stare at Natsu, his eyes narrowed. "A man should never treat a lady this way. I still haven't forgiven him what he did to Sis."

"Enough, Elfman." said harshly Mira. "I never asked you to worry about my own battles. I knew what I was getting into, and I've already dealt with what happened."

The Demon reached out to her cup and lifted it, only to have it slip out of her grip, as it crashed into the table and rolled onto the floor, spilling its remains. Cursing, Mira grabbed her jammed hand and forcefully moved her fingers to close her fist, before relaxing her fingers and moving them around. This was the procedure she adapted and followed ever since her recovery. Elfman scowled at the sight.

"It's his fault your hand will never be as good as it used to be." he growled. "I think I should teach him a lesson."

"The flames were his, but he didn't force me to purposely stick my hand into them." she replied. "I don't blame him for this," she raised her hand "so why should you?"

That did not convince the giant, but he remained silent.

Lisanna looked at the Dragon Slayer and frowned. "I think it's sad." This earned her confused looks from her friends. She looked at them and finished her thought. "I really think we're being too harsh on him, ever since day one. I don't think he's as bad as we make him to be, he's just lost."

Erza sighed at these words, as she couldn't help but remember the events that happened few days earlier.

* * *

 **Late afternoon of November 28th, Fairy Tail Guild**

"We're back!" yelled Makarov from the entrance, with Erza standing by his side.

The guild loudly acknowledged the return of their Master, who immediately raised his hand in the air.

"Silence! There's something I have to announce!"

The laughter and ruckus quickly died down, as silence fell in the hall. Pleased, Makarov cleared his throat and exlaimed. "I have two things to announce. Some of you might be upset with the second one, however, it is a risk I am willing to take."

He cleared his throat and yelled out. "First of all, Fairy Tail will not be disbanded!"

This exclamation earned him cheers from everyone in the guild. He let them celebrate for a moment, before raising his hand to silence them. "Now, for the other part."

He then turned around and extended his right hand towards the entrance to the guild. "Please welcome our newest member, Natsu Dragneel!"

A figure appeared from behind the door, with Natsu, covered in bandages from head to toe entering the guild. At his sight, a lot of people stood up from their seats, some of them terrified, some of them displeased.

"What the hell is he doing here?!" asked someone at the back.

"Master, you can't be serious!" yelled Elfman. "This guy hurt our friends, he's a criminal!"

"Just like Gajeel in the past, he was pardoned by the Council and allowed to join us on special terms. He's no longer who he used to be." Erza defended Natsu.

"Gajeel was one thing, but no way in hell am I willing to give this guy a chance." added Jet, with Droy nodding beside him.

"Aren't you guys a little too uptight? We don't even know him." asked Cana.

"And we don't want to."

"Isn't he known for destroying guilds?" threw in another member in the back.

The voices echoes across the guild, all of them getting louder with each second. Makarov slowly closed his eyes, sadness filling his heart. If only he could reveal the events that happened in the Tower...

Erza wanted to speak out, but she knew that if she did, she'd have said something she might come to regret. She looked at Natsu, whose eyes were glued on the floor, an unreadable expression on his face. He might have seemed fine, but deep down, she knew he was hurt. This was not how he wanted to start his new life.

"I don't want anything to do with this guy." said Macao.

"Aren't you guys a little too harsh?" asked Levy, the first person to defend the Dragon Slayer. "We don't even know him, reputation alone doesn't speak for a person."

"Levy, our first impression of this guy was when he kicked our door down, covered in blood from head to toes." replied calmly Wakaba. "I really don't think..."

"Knock it off."

Mira's voice shot through the guild like a whip, immediately silencing the ruckus. She looked at her guildmates one by one, an angry, slightly disgusted frown on her face. "None of you were there, none of you have seen what he's done. It's thanks to him Lucy and Juvia are still with us right now. Stop pointing your fingers and do not speak out on matters you know nothing about. You sound pathetic."

Her harsh words effectively gagged the guild. Erza couldn't help but send her rival a grateful look.

"Your reaction from few days ago wasn't that different from ours!" said Warren.

"That's because back then we didn't know anything about him." replied Gray, who joined the conversation. "Now we know that he's trustworthy. Stop treating him like shit, especially when none of you had anything to do with him. Did you forget he's the one who busted us out of that barrier?"

His words completely shut down all protests.

"Even if it's true, he's still dangerous." said Jet, not as confident as before.

"Which is why he will be strictly under my and Erza's supervision." replied Makarov. "What you have heard of him is true, however, there's a lot you haven't heard as well. We've accepted our past enemies into our family on few occasions, we can do it this time as well. I trust you will give it your all and help him get acquainted. Believe me, before you know it, you will treat him as if he was an old member."

This did not convince the guild what so ever. Seeing that it was pointless to continue, he turned over to Natsu. "You must be tired, my boy, and I presume you do not have a place to stay in. For the time being, make full use of our infirmary, there are lots of beds to choose from. Lisanna will show you the way."

Natsu nodded weakly, exhausted and sore from his wounds. He started to walk into the guild, before feeling a small tug on his sleeve. He looked back to see a smiling Erza.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright." she assured him. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Once again, he nodded weakly and made his way through the hall, with Lisanna walking in front of him. She couldn't help but frown at the state he was in. During their travel to Magnolia, he was hit with a powerful attack of motion sickness, which rendered him unable to move, and forced him to use all his strength to focus on not passing out. That, combined with his barely treated injuries resulted in him collapsing on the station. Makarov immediately ordered to take him to Porlyusica, who was beyond shocked and angry at the state he was in. No matter whether controlled or not, the Council did everything in its power to make itself completely unlikeable.

She watched him drag his feet behind Lisanna, her guildmates sending him weird looks on his way. She bit her lip in worry, which did not pass unnoticed by Makarov.

"Go." he said. "Check up on him."

She didn't have to be told twice. Quickly picking up the pace, Erza crossed the guild and made her way upstairs. She walked up just in time to see the pair disappear behind the door. Not wanting to overwhelm Natsu, she gently walked up to the door and stood by the wall, listening.

"Well, here we are." said Lisanna and turned on the lights. "You can choose whichever bed you want, nobody is staying here anyway."

Natsu frowned and walked up to the nearest bed. He put his hand on the mattress and gently slid his hand on the material, caressing it. He then applied some pressure onto the bed and pushed it a few times with his hand, as if checking up the firmness. Lisanna, who was currently closing the curtains, turned around and noticed him awkwardly sitting down on the bed. He then frowned and jumped in his spot, bouncing on the mattress.

"Is something wrong?" asked him the barmaid, slightly confused by his behavior.

Natsu, who was currently standing on the bed looked at her, his face relaxing. "Oh, no, not at all." he said, before jumping down onto the floor. "It's just, I haven't slept in a bed in years, I actually forgot what they look like."

Lisanna felt her eyes widen in slight shock. She couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Well, it's yours for the time being." she said. "I'll leave you to it. If there's anything you need, Master is just across the floor. I'll be downstairs for a while longer."

Natsu gave her a quick nod and got back to checking out his bed. Lisanna walked out of the door and closed the door behind her, a sad frown glued to her face. She then spotted Erza, who was standing against the wall just behind the door, her face not looking good either. Neither of women spoke out, both of them feeling the same way. Lisanna walked down the stairs, with Erza following her a moment after. This was going to be a long journey.

* * *

"Nobody is going to trust him right off the bat." said Gray. "Give him few weeks and he'll prove himself. We have to take some jobs anyway, that will be his chance."

Lucy blinked and looked at him. "You're oddly calm about the idea of him joining our team."

"Not like I have a say in the matter anyway." he sighed. Lucy had to agree with him on that.

"Speaking of jobs." threw in Cana. She walked up to the table with a chair in one hand, and her bottle in the other. She placed the chair right next to Lucy and plopped onto it. "I've wanted to ask you something ever since you came back." she said, directing her words to Erza and her team. "How does he stand in terms of strength?" she asked, pointing at Natsu with her thumb.

Suddenly, everyone went quiet, as if dying to find out the answer to that question. Erza looked at the brunette, slightly surprised that she was the one who asked this question. She put down her cup and grabbed her chin with her fingers, genuinely wondering what to answer with.

"Well," she said after a long while "these are only my own calculations that are highly possible to be wrong, so don't take my word for granted." she warned them."I've seen him that way for only a moment, but if you ask me, I'd say that at his best, he is around three times stronger than me."

Gasps of shock echoed across the guild, everyone's jaws dropping in awe and shock. Elfman spat out his drink to the side, much to the annoyance of his big sister.

"A-at his best?" stuttered Macao. "You mean that when he showed up and almost burned us, that wasn't his best?"

"No." Erza shook her head. "On a daily basis, I'd say he's as strong as Laxus. But I may be wrong." she said, looking at Mira for some confirmation.

"Sounds about right." shrugged Mirajane. This only made them feel more unsettled.

"Doesn't that make him second strongest in the guild?!" asked shocked Elfman.

"Of course not, have you forgotten about Gildarts?" answered Warren.

"I wasn't counting Master."

"Great, another beast to the collection." sighed Macao.

Whispers reached Natsu's ears, much to his annoyance. He knew damn well what, or _who_ they were talking about.

"So, third strongest in the guild, eh?" asked Cana with raised eyebrows, her eyes stuck on Natsu's figure. "You've found yourself quite a monster, haven't you, Erza?" she asked the knight with a mischievous smirk.

Erza arched an eyebrow. "What are you suggesting?"

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about." chuckled the brunette. "Lucy told me how you guys act around each other. The Knight and her Dragon, sounds quite-"

Cana's teasing was stopped by Lucy forcefully putting her hand on her mouth. Feeling cold creeping up her neck from Erza's glare, Lucy laughed awkwardly and tried to change the subject. "Now that I think about it, didn't you ask me to remind you that you have to visit Porlyusica today?"

Erza's face relaxed. That's right, it was time for his results and physical checkup.

"I did. Thank you, Lucy." she said and finished her tea. Lucy sighed in relief, as she watched Erza leave the table and walk up to Natsu.

"Natsu." the knight called out to him.

He turned around and looked at her. "What's up?"

"It's time for your checkup." she said with a smile.

"Oh, right." he said, not looking forward to the upcoming visit, before gulping the remains of his drink. He put down the glass and stood up from his chair. He then walked up to Lisanna, who was still sitting with Lucy and the others and reached out to his pocket, about to pay for his drink.

Seeing what he was about to do, the girl quickly put up her hand and gently laughed. "You really don't have to pay, we're not really a pub-"

Before she could finish, Natsu threw a large stack of cash in front of her. No matter how she looked at it, this was way too much for what he was given.

"Um." she started awkwardly. "What is this?"

Natsu raised his eyebrows. "I'm paying for my drink." he said, confused.

"Dude, you've just overpaid at least twentyfold." said Gray with a shocked voice, Lucy dumbly staring at the stash right next to him.

Now it was Natsu's turn to be shocked. "Really? I always pay this much for a drink."

It wasn't long before realisation hit the group, with Mira loudly expressing it by almost falling off her chair from laughter. Natsu looked at her, annoyed. "The hell are you laughing about?"

His tone sent shivers down the spines of everyone who was not sitting by her table. Mira took a couple deep breaths and wiped her eyes. "Seriously, for someone like you to be this naive." she breathed out. "They've been scamming you for years. For something like this, you pay with two zeros less on the bill."

Confused, Natsu was about to argue with the Demon, however, this was prevented by Erza, who grabbed his sleeve and dragged him towards the exit.

"We'll talk about it later. For now, we have to get your results. I'll see you guys later." she threw in farewell, with Natsu trying to free himself from her iron grip.

Gray continued to stare at his back, still surprised. "You know, I'm starting to believe this guy has no idea how life works."

Lucy looked at the Dragon Slayer as well and sighed. "I think you might be right."

"Sometimes I can't help but wonder what sort of a life he had up until now." said Lisanna. "I can't imagine what he's been through."

Gray, who knew the answer to that, gently sighed through his nose. "Let's try our best and lend him a hand. That's the only thing we can do for now." he said.

Mira, who didn't miss his reaction gently narrowed her eyes. She's been suspecting it for a while now, but now she was getting more and more certain - there was something major in their newest member, that some of her friends knew about. Feeling that it was not the time or place to pry, she stood up from her seat.

"Mira, where are you going?" asked her Lisanna.

Mira raised her hand and squeezed it a couple times. "Rehab." she replied shortly before walking out of the guild as well. Although what she said was true, her thoughts were somewhere else.

* * *

An hour later, Erza found herself standing in Porlyusica's house. Her brown eyes continuously searched all over Natsu's almost naked figure, as he stood in the middle of the room only in his underwear, with the lady unwrapping him off bandages. Although he was already healed, Erza couldn't help but feel her eyes narrow, sadness filling her heart. He looked terrible.

His entire torso was covered in burn marks he received from taken explosions. Although they were bound to fade away at some point, their freshness and color were simply repulsive. His left arm from fingers up to his elbow was covered in long, thin pink and white lines, which in combination with the scar that ran around his wrist gave an illusion of his arm being simply pink and white in color. However, the most noticeable change in his appearance was a long scar that ran across 80% of his face. It started just above his left eyebrow, continued down his nose and ended on his right cheek, at the level of his lips. It was irregular and deep, giving him an intimidating, but crippled look.

Porlyusica carefully checked out various areas of his body, giving them a light squeeze and paying attention to Natsu's reactions. The Dragon Slayer was calm, but displeased with the procedure.

After few more minutes, the woman straightened up and turned around. "That's all, you can put on your clothes."

Natsu was more than happy to get back into his outfit. Just when he was done pulling up his pants, Porlyusica spoke up, with a book in her hand.

"Your outside wounds have more or less healed, they no longer require my attention. I've tried to keep the scars to the minimum, but preventing them entirely was impossible. If you feel any further discomfort, talk to that little Dragon Slayer of yours, she can handle something of this degree on her own."

Natsu tied up his shoes and stood up. "Sure."

"The damage caused inside, however, is a different matter." continued Porlyusica. "Because of how you've pushed your body past its absolute limits, you were one step away from killing yourself. The strain put on your body crippled your ability to absorb Ethernano from the air, and it will take a long while to heal that."

Erza frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Mages have a container, that stores magic power inside of their bodies. It's responsible for absorbing Ethernano from the air, which is necessary to replenish any lost reserves of magic. By straining himself, he nearly torn up this container, and in result, he now requires a lot longer to replenish his magic than you, for example."

Natsu stopped putting on his jacket. He now knew the reason behind this awful feeling that accompanied him for the past few days.

Porlyusica closed the book and looked into Natsu's eyes. "I'll be blunt. If you continue to put this sort of strain on your body, you will lose the ability to use magic, or in the worst case, die. I suggest you keep low and not reach out to your second element: it is the culprit behind your current condition."

Natsu snorted gently under his nose and wrapped his scarf around his neck. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning on using it ever again anyway."

Erza quickly looked at him. She picked up something in his tone that didn't sit right. Not wanting to talk about it in here, she spoke out to the older woman instead. "Will he recover from it? If so, how long would it take?"

"If he does not put himself in danger, it should calm down and return to normal on its own. It might take a week, a month, two, or maybe even a year, it all depends on his lifestyle. Come by once in a month for a checkup, I doubt he will be able to tell the difference on his own." replied the woman.

Erza nodded. Natsu zipped his jacket and walked up to Erza, his hands in his pockets. "Thanks, grandma." he said, without looking at his savior.

"Thank you for taking care of him." Erza bowed gently, expressing her gratitude.

Porlyusica looked at the girl one last time and turned around. "If that's all you wanted, leave."

Erza bowed once again and the pair left the house.

They walked through the forest towards the town, with Natsu in the front, and Erza walking right behind him. She kept staring at his back, questions circling in her mind. Feeling that she won't get anywhere by simply wondering, she stopped and called out to him.

"Natsu, stop."

The Dragon Slayer stopped in his tracks and looked at her. "What?"

"Is everything okay?" she asked him.

Natsu frowned. "Yeah. Why?"

"You've been acting weird ever since we got back." she said with a frown of her own. She relaxed her face, replacing it with a concerned look. "Is something in the guild not to your liking?"

He stared at her for a moment, before resuming walking. "Nope, it's all fine."

Not buying it, Erza pressed harder. "Did Lucy do something to you that upset you? You've been treating her like air."

He stopped once again. "No." he replied quietly.

Erza walked up to him and overtook him, catching his face with her eyes. "She really wanted to thank you for saving her back in the Tower. Why can't you just hear her out?"

Natsu looked to the side, a small scowl forming on his face. "Because I don't deserve it."

The knight felt her eyes widen in surprise. Did she hear him right?

"What do you mean?"

Natsu looked her deep in the eyes, finally willing to talk. "I've put her in that position. My lack of control and care for my surroundings caused that situation to happen. It was because of me she was stuck under that rock. I didn't save her, I saved myself. Silva knew what he was doing when he targetted them, he knew I'd jump in the way, because I'd feel guilty. Well, he was right." He then looked at Erza's hands. "This isn't the first time I've hurt someone who didn't deserve it anyway."

Erza listened to him with a stoic expression. Glad that she got him to spill the beans, she smiled. "You're being too harsh on yourself. Nobody blames you for what happened, they never did. You might have put them in that situation, but you've also saved them. You've fixed your own mistake. As for me, I've forgiven you a long time ago."

She reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "When we get back, talk to Lucy. She will tell you exactly what I've just told you. Maybe that will convince you."

Seeing that he was still puzzled and not entirely convinced, Erza turned around and started to walk towards the town. "Tomorrow, I'd like to go on a job. Make sure you sleep well today!" she hummed.

Natsu stared at her back, a weird feeling building in his chest, a feeling he couldn't even describe. He shook his head and ran after her, willing to catch up.

"Hey, can I pick it?"

* * *

 **Late afternoon of December 1st, Fairy Tail Guild, Makarov's office**

Couple hours after her return, Erza found herself in Makarov's office, both of them with a fresh cup of tea in their hands. It was time for her usual report.

Makarov laid down his cup before asking. "So, what did Porlyusica say?"

Erza took a sip of her tea and replied. "His life is not in danger, but he has to stay low for the time being. His body is still hurt, and he might lose his ability to use magic if he pushes himself any further."

The elder sighed. He knew that the boy was far from being okay, but it was still unpleasant to hear something like this.

"I've decided to make him join my team, and attend jobs with me, Gray and Lucy." said Erza. "I think we should make him used to legal, regular jobs and slowly, but surely push him away from his old habits."

Makarov nodded. "I agree. We have to start working on him as soon as possible." he took a sip from his cup. "Tell me, how is his situation with the guild?"

Erza frowned. "Not good. Everyone except those present in the Tower, Cana, Levy and Lisanna treats him like an enemy. I think they are all still blinded by his appearance from before we took off."

"I knew it'd be bad, but not to this extent." muttered Makarov, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Sometimes he couldn't figure out what was going through the thick skulls of his kids. "And how is he?"

"It's complicated." sighed Erza. "Due to years of living in isolation, he's more like an animal than a human. He only speaks to me and avoids everyone else, and when combined with their hostile approach to his person, the tension is unbearable. It's only a matter of time before he loses his temper." She then gave him a wide smile. "However, despite all that, I believe he will change for the better. If I could be brought onto the right path, so can he.

The elder tapped his finger on the desk. He had no idea what to do, his ideas not living up to the task. The images he's seen three days prior still haunted him, but he couldn't find it in his heart to tell Erza about them. It would break her.

"For the time being, try to get him acquainted with your team. We'll start with steady baby steps. We have five years to help him live like a normal human being, there's plenty of time left." he said after a while.

"Very well." said the knight.

She put down her cup and stood up from her chair. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for tomorrow. We're going on a job."

Makarov nodded. "Good night. Make sure you choose a good one."

Erza turned around in the door and grinned at the elder. "I'm not the one choosing."

Makarov chuckled to himself and watched Erza disappear behind the door. As soon as she left the room, he frowned to himself, the memories still overwhelmingly bright.

* * *

 **Three days earlier, November 28th, Magic Council HQ**

Natsu dropped to the floor after being freed from his shackles by the guard. He panted heavily, single drops of blood falling onto his hands from his face. Makarov quickly turned around to the guard.

"Give him your jacket, quickly."

Although hesitant, the guard gave up under the weight of Makarov's eyes and took off his uniform, before wrapping it around the wounded Dragon Slayer. Natsu slowly stood up and limped towards the cell door.

"Now then, let's head upstairs and get you patched up." said the tiny mage.

Natsu nodded and took couple of steps, but halted after a moment. He started to aggressively sniff the air, which alarmed Makarov.

"Come on, we better go." he pressed, knowing full well what was about to happen.

Unfortunately for him, his plan failed, with a scowling Natsu limping his way deeper into the dungeon. Cursing under his nose, the elder chased after the Dragon Slayer, with the guard behind him. He found him standing in front of a cell few meters away from his. Before he could react, he witnessed as Natsu put his hand on the doorknob and forcefully opened the door, breaking the lock in the process. He slowly entered the cell, with Makarov right behind him.

"Don't you remember what I've just said, don't do anything reckless!" yelled Makarov before entering the cell.

His old eyes were met with a tall man with long silver hair, his figure hanging on the back wall of the cell. His entire body except his head was in bounds, his limbs positioned so that he was giving an illusion of being crucified. Before him stood Natsu, his onyx eyes glued to the man's face.

Silva slowly lifted his head and looked at his visitor, a small chuckle escaping his mouth.

"What an unexpected visit. Did you come here to boast, or perhaps you're here to admire my current disgraceful state?"

Natsu did not reply. Makarov stood on his guard in the entrance. He knew that he should be stopping the lad, drag him away by force if needed, but a part of him wanted to see this. He wanted to see, whether the gamble he's taken was a gamble he could turn into a victory.

Natsu took a slow step towards Silva. He stopped just 1 meter away from the man and finally spoke up.

"I came here to confirm something." he said quietly.

"And what that be? Your victory, my pathetic condition, or perhaps something slightly deeper than that?" mocked Silva.

Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously. He walked up to Silva so that his face was mere centimeters away from his. "My own desires. And now that I look at you, I really want to kill you. Every single fiber of my being wants to tear you limb from limb, right here, right now."

Makarov tensed up. His biggest fears were about to become reality.

"Then why don't you?" asked Silva. "I can't even move, this is your best chance. All it takes is one, good blow. But you can't, can you?" taunted The God. "Your pathetic sense of morality is holding you back. Deep down, you want to change, and this makes you weak."

Natsu grinned. "You really love to believe your own bullshit, don't you?"

Silva blinked in confusion.

"I want to kill you, I really do. But I won't do it." continued Natsu. "Not because I can't, but because I gave it a thought. Even if you die, it will be nowhere near sufficient enough to pay for everything you've done. When compared to what you deserve, death is like mercy."

"Is that how you're planning on lying to yourself?" asked Silva.

"No, this is the truth. Even if I tortured you, after couple of days you'd give in. That's way too fast. I'm aiming for years, decades even."

Silva frowned. He had slight trouble with following the Dragon Slayer.

"That's why I will leave you right here, in this place." said Natsu quietly. "You, someone with a god complex will live out his last days in an underground cell, kept by people you consider to be worse than vermin. You will be fed, watched and kept under lock every single day by the very people you swore to destroy. This will be your life until the day you die, alone and forgotten. You will meet the same fate you've sent thousands of people through."

The God smirked. "Do you honestly believe I will stay here for long? You must be more delusional than I expected. It won't be long until I leave this place and drown you in a sea of despair."

Natsu grinned and couldn't help the laughter that escaped his mouth.

"Truth to be told, this is exactly what I'm hoping for." he said with an excited, merciless tone.

Without a warning, Natsu's body was covered by a cloak of fire and lightning, the temperature in the cell reaching unbearable temperatures. Makarov had to cover his face in order to prevent them it being burned. The guard behind him growled and tried to forcefully enter the cell, only to be stopped by Makarov. He knew this was wrong, but deep inside, he wanted to see for himself. Despite the tension he felt, he had trust that the boy in front of him would make the right decision.

Silva started to sweat, his face paling from fear. Natsu's form triggered memories that haunted him ever since his defeat. Seeing this, Natsu stepped even closer, his forehead touching Silva's.

"If you ever get out of this place, I will personally hunt you down. I will break every single bone in your limbs, but not kill you. I will forcefully drag you back down here and lock you up. I will repeat this process every time you step outside of this cell, and when you finally break and beg me to kill you, I will look you in the eye and refuse." whispered Natsu.

Silva was now white, his face twisted in horror. His voice was stuck in his throat, Natsu's words sinking in deep into his soul.

"Then again, it's a different matter if someone else gets to you first, and I'm sure there are lots of people who'd love to have a meeting with you." continued the Dragon Slayer. "Hell, I'm pretty sure you have some friends in here who'd love to have a word with you."

Silva did not respond, his eyes wide, his pupils barely existent. He was too traumatized to form a proper sentence. Seeing that his work was done, Natsu stepped away and canceled his magic. He then put his hand on Silva's shoulder and leaned in towards his ear to speak out one more time.

"You were right about one thing, you know. I do want to change. I will start anew, while you will remain here, broken and alone. I promised to someone that I'd try to change, and I'm going to fulfill this promise. But to achieve that, I have to stay away from you as far as possible, so make it easy for me and make sure I won't have to visit you ever again. It really is hard to fight the temptation."

Natsu turned away from Silva and faced Makarov. The elder was disturbed, his old ears picking up every single word that was said in the cell. Seeing his horrified look, Natsu felt a slight sense of shame, so to mask it, he addressed Silva one more time.

"Consider yourself warned. This is the only way you can make up for all the atrocities you've committed. After all," he turned around to look at the man one last time. "you hate unfinished business, do you not?"

With that said, Natsu turned back around and walked out of the cell, Makarov and the guard following him in suit. Natsu closed the door and melted the lock with his flames, securing the cell. After that, he dropped to his knees, panting heavily.

"I really shouldn't have used my magic back there." he chuckled to himself, throbbing pain taking over his chest.

Makarov did not say a word. He simply watched the young man before him, his fists clenching on their own. He knew it was going to be tough, but this event confirmed it - he was up for a ride of his life. This might have been the toughest challenge in his life.

"Do not say a word about what happened here." he said to the guard, not leaving any room for protest. "Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir." replied the guard, not willing to oppose the Wizard Saint.

"Is there a chance...you could not mention this to Erza?" Natsu wheezed out from the floor, his voice back to its normal tone.

Makarov's eyes narrowed. He walked up to the boy and looked him deep in the eyes.

"This will be the first lesson I'll give you as your Master." he said quietly, his voice sharp. "Fairy Tail does not resolve their problems with unnecessary violence and threats. Make sure this is the last time I warn you."

Natsu smiled weakly at the elder. "I got your message loud and clear."

Not entirely convinced, Makarov decided to drop the subject. "Come on, let's get you upstairs. We need to patch you up."

With the guard's aid, they helped Natsu get back on his feet, and then escorted him out of the dungeon. As they passed by nearby cells, an amused chuckle found its way into their ears.

"I didn't know it was Christmas." said a male voice, which Makarov immediately recognized. "This has to be the best gift I've ever received. You have my utmost gratitude, Salamander."

Natsu turned around in the direction of the voice. "Make sure you enjoy it, Erik."

Cobra laughed out loud, his voice echoing throughout the prison. "You too, old man! I hope you haven't forgotten our promise!"

"I'm working on it." replied Makarov. He received a satisfied laughter in response.

The trio continued on their way through the hall, when suddenly, Makarov felt a light squeeze on his shoulder.

"Gramps." said Natsu in a quiet voice.

The Master looked at the Dragon Slayer. His eyes were half open, his little stunt and weakened state rendering him barely able to stay conscious.

"Yes, what is it?"

There was a small pause, as if he was wondering what to say. Then, after what felt like a minute, Natsu spoke up, his eyes glued to Makarov's. There was no trace of previous hostility or cruelty - now, they were hopeful, maybe even wamr. This change put an uneasy feeling in the elder's chest.

"I really want to change, believe it or not."

Makarov gently exhaled through his nose. He didn't know too much about this boy, so it was hard to judge him. However, the display he showed few minutes ago left a lot of questions. Still, he decided to put his trust in his newest member and mark the beginning of a long journey.

"You will, my boy. You will."

 **End of Chapter 15. To be continued in Chapter 16: In Action**

* * *

 **This chapter was a lot slower than the previous ones. I wanted to take it down a notch and relax before Tenrou.**

 **The scars Erza received from Natsu come from Chapter 2, when he destroyed her Adamantine Armor and blew up her hands. In case you didn't remember.**

 **There will be a three chapter break between SC Arc and Tenrou Arc, so excluding this one, there will be two more chapters. I can't wait to get into it!**


	17. In Action

**Before I get into this chapter, I would like to say one thing: I do not deserve you guys. The amount of support I've received in my last update was...overwhelming, to say the least. The only thing I can do is say "Thank you." and continue to work on the series.  
**

 **All of the checkups I had this month came out clean. Which means, that for today, I am cancer free. I have yet to have my bowel and stomach endoscopies, but those will come in 2018. I still have the issue of lumps under my right rib, but all of my doctors said it's not dangerous, and I sure as hell hope so. It appears all of my symptoms were caused by the amount of stress I was in due to personal situations, and when combined with my anxiety and fear of cancer...well, a truly killer combo.**

 **Once again, thank you all for your support and I promise I will never take a break this long again. Not giving you guys usual chapters hurt me and I'm finally glad to upload again. This chapter may not be the greatest, but Tenrou Arc will be the bomb, that I promise you.**

 **With that said, enjoy Chapter 16!**

* * *

 **December 2nd, Fairy Tail Guild**

December continued with its weather shenanigans, chilly morning air pinching the skin of those sentenced to be currently outside. Erza continued on her way through the city, her usual armor covering her body. Although she now preferred her new, civil clothes, she just couldn't approach a working day in a jacket. Still, she'd lie if she said she didn't miss the warm sensation on her body.

Erza made one last turn and crossed the remaining distance to the guild. She pushed the door and entered the pleasantly warm building, some members already greeting her. Erza waved them back and out of habit did a quick scan of the hall, her eyes searching for her team. She did find them a moment later, and couldn't help but smirk in slight amusement at the thought, that now it came much easier than previously - there was only one member in the guild, who had pink hair.

Natsu was, surprisingly, not sitting alone. In front of him sat Gray and Lucy, both of them busy with their activities. Gray was, as usual, reading something, with a cup of coffee set on the table before him, while Lucy was cleaning her keys, occasional yawns taking over her jaw. The trio was not talking to each other, but to Erza, this sight was already a big progress.

"Good morning." greeted them Erza after walking up to the table.

The trio murmured back, acknowledging her presence. She was already used to lack of Gray and Lucy's fondness when it came to getting up this early.

"Well then, shall we start our day?" asked the knight.

"Best to get it over with." Gray sighed tiredly and closed his magazine. "Just make sure not to pick anything over the top, I'd gladly do something smooth."

"I'm afraid that is not up to me." replied Erza. She then faced Natsu. "Ready to choose?"

The Dragon Slayer looked at her with a slight frown. He then remembered what she'd promised him and his face immediately relaxed: he was genuinely looking forward to seeing what legal jobs looked like.

He got off his seat and started to walk toward the counter, where Lisanna and Mira were wiping off the dishes. Erza blinked at the sight.

"Where are you going?" she asked him.

He turned around with his eyebrows slightly raised. "To get a job. What else could I be doing?"

"We choose jobs from over there." she said and pointed at the board at the end of the hall. "We bring them to the counter only to get a stamp that we'll be gone."

Natsu frowned. Now this was the first change. Still, he simply shrugged and walked back, before stopping in front of the board. He started to scan the sheets of paper with his eyes, and slowly, but surely, he felt that he was getting cold and sweat was starting to form on his forehead.

Erza used this occasion to sit down to her teammates.

"All done!" announced Lucy to herself, pleased with her work. She took care of her keys, that's for sure, but she was still amazed by how different they looked after a good scrub.

Gray arched an eyebrow. "They look the same to me." he said before ducking just in time to avoid a punch aimed at his face.

"I have to say, I was quite surprised to see you three together when I walked in." threw in Erza, mostly to cut off Lucy, who was about to retort to Gray's remark. "Who joined who?"

"We did. He was the only one in the guild when we came, we thought we might as well sit with him" said Gray.

"Well, he does live here, after all." added Lucy and looked at the Slayer.

"I see."

Erza also looked at his back. He was still staring at the board, probably getting accustomed to his new working environment.

"By the way." Lucy's words snapped her back to reality. "What did you guys hear at Porlyusica's? Is he alright?"

"It's complicated." sighed Erza. "Long story short, he can't overexert himself for a while, so his fighting capabilities are, to some degree, limited. However, his life is not in danger, so it all comes down to how he handles himself from now on."

Erza couldn't help but notice Gray's eyes and immediately understood his thoughts. They could never forget what they saw back in the Tower: such display of strength was something neither of them had ever seen in their lives.

"You think he'll get picked?" asked Gray all of a sudden.

Erza blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"You know." he said, putting some weight on the words, trying not to reveal what he meant to Lucy.

"Oh." It took Erza a couple seconds to click. "I genuinely have no idea. With the way things are, I find it unlikely, but Master has a mind of his own. I stopped being surprised years ago."

"I guess you're right." replied Gray, his voice disappointed, for reasons known to the redhead.

"Huh? Picked for what?" asked curious Lucy.

"He's taking too long." said Erza while looking at Natsu, dodging the question. "I'll go check on him."

"Hey, what were you talking about?" getting nothing out of Erza, Lucy turned to Gray, who started coming up with excuses.

Erza stood up and crossed the guild, leaving her friends behind. The knight walked up to the board and met Natsu, who was slightly leaned towards the board. His eyes were squinted and his mouth was moving, as if he was whispering to himself. Confused, Erza looked at the board, more specifically where he was looking. He was staring at a simple, quite short job request worth 800,000, paid for cleaning out a mine full of creatures. Erza frowned. The request was simple, it had barely any text and the reward for completing it clear to see, yet he continued to stare at it in concentration, his mouth continuously moving. And then, suddenly, as if someone hit her head with a hammer, it clicked.

"Natsu." she called out to him quietly. He jumped in his spot, startled. If she managed to startle a Dragon Slayer with her presence, that alone was a proof of how focused he was on this small piece of paper.

"Yeah?" he asked her.

"Do you want to go on this job?" she asked, pointing at his sheet of paper.

He did not reply. Her hunch deepened, so she decided to push it further.

"How about this one?" she pointed her finger at another poster, his eyes following her hand. "100,000 for finding a lost dog. The client will provide some clues, such as its collar, so with your nose, finding it will be a matter of time."

Once again, no reply. After a short while, he grabbed his previous target and ripped it off the board. "Let's go with this one." he said, before turning on his heel and heading towards the counter.

Erza stared at his back, her eyes narrowing. She took her hand off the request and followed him. The poster then fell off the board and landed on the floor, revealing its contains for everyone to see, not a single word mentioning a lost dog.

"I picked this" announced Natsu and threw the request on the table. Gray and Lucy leaned in to read it.

"800,000 for cleaning out a mine? We're lucky." smirked Gray. He liked easy money.

"Each of us gets 200,000?! I'll be able to pay two months worth of rent at once!" celebrated Lucy.

"Don't get cocky." scolded them Erza, who was now back at the table. "We have no idea what sort of creatures are hiding in there. We must be prepared for a tough battle."

"There she is." breathed Gray under his nose, unfortunately for him, a little too loud.

"Did I just hear something?" asked the knight, her eyes slowly transforming into daggers.

"Nope." replied Gray before the cold from her eyes could reach him.

"That's what I thought. We're leaving in an hour. Let's meet at the station."

Gray and Lucy nodded and got up from their seats in order to get ready. Despite Erza's warning, their previously foul moods were now gone - they missed going on jobs, and this was a golden opportunity.

"Well then, I'm off as well. I have to get some stuff from my apartment. Do you know your way to the station?" Erza turned to Natsu.

"Yeah, I'll find my way." he replied, his voice slightly off.

"Very well. See you in an hour." she smiled at him before walking out of the guild.

As soon as she found herself out of the guild, her smile dropped, now replaced with a small frown. Although she had no further proof, she already came to a certain conclusion. Realising that confronting him in private would be the best scenario, she made a mental note and made her way back to her apartment, her smile returning to her face. She was very excited to be back in the field again.

* * *

An hour later, Erza and her team found themselves at the station, ready for departure. While Gray and Lucy, who had trouble staying awake not so long ago were not perfectly fine, Natsu was slightly nervous and couldn't stay in a single spot.

"Are you okay?" asked him Lucy.

"Yeah." he replied shortly. "I just don't like trains."

It took the blonde a second to connect the dots. "Oh. I see." was all she could force out.

Though now knowing his lack of fondness for trains, Lucy caught herself looking at him for slightly longer than necessary. He noticed that as well and met her eyes with his, only to miss her gaze, as she quickly turned around. Although she's now fully accepted him into the team, being around him felt slightly weird. She didn't hate him, nor did she find him repulsive because of his face, but the vibes he pumped out were much different than those of the people she'd been around for the past year. Getting used to him could take a while.

Twenty minutes later, the group was now seated in their compartment, with Lucy and Erza sitting on one side, and Gray and Natsu on the other. Gray was looking out the window, not paying attention to his neighbor. Natsu, on the other hand, was leaned in towards the floor, his hands joined and on his lap. His breaths were loud and deep, sweat already dripping down his face, which took a color of gentle green.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked him Erza with concern.

He weakly nodded in response, probably not talking on purpose. Right now his mind was focused on not going all the distance.

Not buying it, Erza sighed and turned to Lucy. "Could you switch seats with him, please?"

The blonde blinked, but obliged. "Sure."

Lucy stood up from her seat and waited for Natsu, who took slightly longer to get off his. They passed by each other on the way and plopped in their new seats, Natsu releasing a quiet groan after sitting down.

Erza straightened herself in her seat and reached out to Natsu, her hand landing on his neck. "Come here." she said shortly.

The Dragon Slayer looked at her confused, his neck instinctively tensing up from her touch. "What for?"

"Just come here." she said, slightly pulling his neck towards herself. "Trust me." she added with a small smile.

Still not entirely convinced, Natsu felt another attack that forced him to his absolute limits to fight off and ended up taking the knight's offer. He let her hand drag him down and, to his surprise, he soon found himself lying on her lap, his head resting on her thighs.

"The hell?" muttered Gray, not entirely sure what he was witnessing.

Erza met his eyes and blinked. "What? I've seen Levi do this for Gajeel, and it worked wonders. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, of course not!" reassured her Lucy with an awkward laugh. Leave it to Erza to miss a clue.

Gray simply shrugged and looked back to the window. Lucy, who was now itching to speak out leaned in to get closer to the Maker and whispered.

"Are you okay?"

He looked at her, his brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, with how you act when this" she continued, pointing at Natsu with her finger "happens, I was expecting you to have a smirk glued to your face by now."

Gray's face relaxed, as he also leaned in. "If that was tincan over there, trust me, I would be rolling on the floor now, but in this occasion, I would prefer not to die at the age of 18."

Lucy blinked. "I really don't think he would overreact like that. He may be wild, but..."

"I wasn't referring to him."

With that said, everything made perfect sense and Lucy simply nodded in approval, her eyes shifting onto Erza on their own. She cleared her throat and leaned back, her neck meeting her seat.

"Besides" continued Gray,his voice still low "I'm kinda excited to see this guy in action. I've always wanted to go on a job with Laxus, but he'd always turn me down, so seeing someone of the same level in action might be a good experience."

"Huh~." hummed Lucy under her nose. "You know, I'm actually kind of surprised at how easily you've accepted him into the team, considering how aggressive you were when we met him again."

"Not like I had a say in this matter now, did I?" he sighed, forcing Lucy to agree with him in her mind. "But other than that...let's just say some things changed. I can't keep on holding grudges left and right. We're not kids anymore. Some things are better being let go off."

Knowing where he was coming from Lucy couldn't help but look at her hands. She's still yet to talk to him about what happened back there.

"I think we should all follow in Natsu's footsteps and get some sleep as well." Erza's words echoed throughout the room, with a now sleeping Natsu still on her lap. "There's a long way ahead of us, followed by a tough job. We must bring out best into this."

"Now that's something I would never argue with." agreed Gray with a yawn and adjusted himself in his seat, so that he could nap off.

Lucy also agreed with the knight and leaned in to her left, her head gently tilted to the side. The trio then closed their eyes and soon fell asleep one after the other.

* * *

 **Six hours later, Birchwood Town**

After a short nap, the group spent the remainder of the journey talking and playing cards. Couple hours later, they found themselves at their destination, with Natsu loudly expressing his joy of getting off the train.

"It's kinda nice in here." noted Gray, as he looked around the town. It reminded him of Magnolia.

"I've never been this deep into the country." added Lucy, also admiring the town.

"Focus." scolded them Erza, now with the job request in her hand. "Sightseeing will come later. We must head to the mayor."

A while later the team was walking through the town with an annoyed Gray up front and giggling Lucy following him, Natsu and Erza behind them. After learning that they were on their way to their client, Natsu could not get over the shock of how different legal jobs are from what he used to work with.

"I'm starting to regret what I said earlier." groaned Gray.

"You still lasted longer than I expected." laughed Lucy.

"So, there really is no middleman?" asked Natsu for the third time.

Erza, who was on both sides of the coin, was the one to provide answers to all of the Slayer's questions, her patience hard as steel. "Yes, Natsu, there is no middleman. By submitting a job to the Council and later a guild, you are expected to sign official paperwork, that confirms your identity. Even if someone used a third party, the client would still be known to the Council. The very concept of a middleman is supposed to push all the risk onto someone else, usually to keep someone's reputation clean with no ties to the request."

"What about the reward? The client will hand it in person?"

"Yes, once the task is fulfilled and the client is satisfied with the results, we will receive our reward, handed directly by him."

"Wouldn't it be safer to leave the money in a designated spot? That way, there are no chances of trying to force more money from the client."

"Once you decide to take a job, your guild sends this information to the Council, so anything that happens to the client is immediately tied up with the guild that'd accepted the request. Even if we tried to steal or force more money from the mayor, all he has to do is report it and we will be held responsible. Unlike the Underground, we have a system that has been used for decades. The rules of that place do not belong here."

With all of his questions answered, Natsu stopped nagging his teammate and frowned to himself. Everything he just learned went against years of his experience. Getting used to the changes could take a while.

"Here we are." announced Erza, causing the group to stop. They were now standing in front of the mayor's office. Erza pushed the door and entered the building, her team right behind her. They were met with the sight of an older lady with glasses sitting behind a desk, right by stairs that led to the upper floor, where the mayor most likely had his office.

"Good morning." Erza greeted the woman. "We are mages from Fairy Tail, my name is Erza Scarlet. We have accepted your job request and we would like to speak to the mayor."

Erza passed the sheet of paper to the woman, who took it and quickly read it's contains.

"I see." replied the woman, before handing the paper back to Erza. "I'm afraid you will have to come ata later date. The mayor is currently not in the town, however, he is expected to come back tomorrow at noon. I will write down your name and notify the mayor about your visit as soon as he gets back."

"I appreciate it." the knight gently bowed her head. "Before we leave, there is something I'd like to ask you."

The woman looked at the redhead from behind her glasses. "Yes?"

"On our way here, we couldn't help but notice that there is not a lot of people in the town, especially for this hour. Is this connected to something, perhaps an event of some sorts?"

The woman's eyes glimpsed, which did not go unnoticed by Erza. "It must have been your imagination, or you simply had no luck in meeting the locals."

"I see." replied the knight. "Well then, we shall come by tomorrow afternoon. Sorry for disturbing you and have a nice day." She said with a bow, before turning around and leaving the building.

"So you've noticed too, huh?" asked her Gray once they crossed the door. "Maybe she is right, even Magnolia has quiet places."

"I do hope so." said Erza, dragging the syllables. "Well then, since we've got nothing to do today, I think we can look around the town for a while."

"I saw a cool shop on our way here, they had some nice clothes on display." said Gray with a grin.

"You're just gonna lose them anyway." pointed out Lucy.

"Shut up." he retorted, slightly red on the face. "They also had some magic items, they may have some keys."

"Count me in, then!" smiled Lucy and started to follow Gray into the town.

"Wait!" called Erza after them. "We don't know our way around here. I think it'd be for the best if we checked in an inn and then wandered off."

"Then do it there." said Gray and pointed with his thumb. Just few blocks away from the mayor's office was an inn. It was quite small, but looked like it could fit the four of them in for the night.

"Very well. I will rent us rooms. Just make sure not to spend too long out there!"

"Yes, mom." threw Gray in farewell and waved her with Lucy by his side.

The knight sighed and looked at her last remaining companion. "What about you?" she asked Natsu.

"I wanna check something out too. Won't take long."

"Okay. See you later."

"Yeah."

With that said, the pair split up and Erza headed into the inn, her bad feeling about this place still with her. She just couldn't shake off this feeling of déjà vu. Praying that she was wrong, she entered the building and walked up to the counter.

* * *

 **Early December 3rd, Inn**

Erza groaned and turned over in her bed. She frowned when the light from a street lamp hit her face through the window and opened her eyes, now awake. She blinked a couple times, her eyes sandy and stinging. She raised her hand and massaged the corners of her eyes, before sitting in her bed and looking around the room. The only place available was a small room with four beds stuffed inside, basically right next to each other. Under normal circumstances, she would've rented a room someplace else, but since they were here for only one night, this was more than enough. Lucy was gently sleeping right beside Erza, her covers tugged right by her chin, her legs curled up underneath the material. Gray was sleeping in front of her, his covers thrown to the side, as he snorred lightly. Erza's eyes fell on the last bed and as soon as they did, a quiet sigh escaped her mouth against her will.

Natsu's bed was empty, with no signs of being used what so ever. Knowing that finding him could very well turn out to be impossible, at least until morning, she still threw her legs to the side and put on her slippers. Erza quietly exited the room and went downstairs, where the main hall was. She didn't even bother changing from her pajamas, mostly because the only thing she could find downstairs was the female owner and a small bar with one table and two chairs.

Once she walked off the final step, she already knew she hit jackpot, her eyes meeting his messy pink head sitting by the bar, alone. Erza slowly crossed the hall and pulled out the second chair, already aware that he knew she was there.

"Hey." she said, her voice somewhere between her usual tone and a whisper.

"Hey." he replied back, his grip on his glass.

"Miss, would you like to order something?" asked her the bartender.

"I'll have what he has." she replied.

The man nodded and reached out for the bottle.

"Why are you here? Can't sleep?" Erza asked Natsu while waiting for her drink.

"Not really." he replied shortly. "I was about to go hit the hay though."

Before Erza could respond to that, the bartender put her glass before her. She grabbed it and gently took a sip of its contains, her eyes widening in surprise at the taste of juice spreading over he tongue.

"What?" asked her Natsu.

"N-nothing. I just...didn't expect-"

"It's not like I drink whenever I get the chance, you know." he cut her off, seemingly hurt by her reaction.

"I wasn't implying that!" she tried to defend herself, only to see him smirking.

"Relax, I'm just kidding."

Slightly embarrassed that she allowed herself to be played so easily, Erza cleared her throat and took another sip of her juice. This was the moment she's been waiting for, she might as well use it.

"Were you going to sleep outside?" she asked him out of the blue.

Natsu looked at her, slightly surprised by the question. "No. Why?"

"Master told me you've been sneaking out of the guild for the night after your first day in the guild." she explained, her voice growing slightly stern. "Is there a reason for this?"

The Dragon Slayer took his time with answering the question. "I'm just not used to sleeping in the same place for longer than one night. I like it in there, I appreciate the hospitality, but it's hard to sleep there for longer than one night. So I've been sleeping outside of town."

This confession put Erza at ease. Although it looked fine on the surface, he was still under arrest. All of his activities had to be monitored, and entire nights on his own could end up in a disaster to the guild.

"Well, this is a brand new location, with a warm bed to sleep in and trustworthy people around you. I think it easily beats cold grass under some tree." smiled Erza.

Natsu snorted into his glass. "You got me there."

Silence fell between them, but it didn't feel awkward. Although neither of them would admit it, being around each other brought the feeling of peace and comfort to both of them. Maybe it was their shared experience, maybe it was the time they spent together. They didn't know each other for long, hell, it hasn't even been three weeks, but they still felt pretty close. Understandment was the foundation of what they had at this moment, and it might have been just be just as strong as years of seeing each other in the guild.

"There's something I've noticed this morning." Erza broke the silence.

Natsu looked at her curiously. "What is it?"

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "I'll be blunt. Do you know how to read?"

This question caught him completely off guard. He simply stared into her brown eyes, unsure what to do. After a short while, he sighed, knowing that there was no escape before her gaze and gave in.

"I know letters, I can put together short, easy words, but other than that, no, I can't. I didn't really have time to learn. When I was with Sunspear I spent my entire days out in the woods, and after that...well, an opportunity never came. All of the jobs I'd picked up were given to me by bartenders and third parties in private." he confessed, before chugging down his glass. "You can laugh now, you know." he added with an uneven smile.

"I would never do that." she said truthfully. "In fact, the complete opposite. I have a proposition for you."

Natsu looked at her questionably.

"When we get back home, I will teach you how to read. Since you're in my team, I am responsible for you, and it is my duty to make sure you can live among people like everybody else, on even terms. I will teach you how to write as well, because both of those skills go in pair."

Natsu didn't know what to say. Couple weeks ago he'd never even give learning how to read or write a second thought, yet here he was, being offered both of those things for free, without a care in the world. Feeling that it could help him getting used to his new environment, he signaled the bartender for a refill and gave Erza an answer.

"If you feel you're up to it. I am a terrible learner."

Erza smirked at those words. "And I am a strict teacher. I think we'll get along just fine."

Natsy laughed and raised his glass. "Let's seal the deal."

Erza laughed as well and met his glass with hers. The pair emptied their glasses in one go, before putting them down on the counter.

"Let's get back to bed, it's getting late." said Erza before getting off her chair.

Natsu nodded and followed her upstairs. They quietly entered the room and laid down in their respective beds. Natsu stayed awake for a while longer and caught himself at Erza's sleeping figure. His eyes laid on her uncovered arms, her sleeves rolled up, revealing her wrists. Seeing them gave him an idea he couldn't wait to put into life. With a small smirk on his face, Natsu has also drifted towards warm embrace of sleep.

* * *

 **Noon of December 3rd**

As promised, Team Erza arrived at the mayor's office. Upon reintroducing themselves, the secretary asked them to wait and soon invited them into the office.

The room was quite modest. At the center by the back wall was a desk with an elderly man sitting behind it. Behind him were two big shelves filled with books and papers. The floor was decorated with a grey carpet with a bizarre pattern, and the windows were half covered by curtains.

"Welcome, my young mages." greeted them the mayor. "How may I help you?"

"My name is Erza Scarlet, I am a mage from Fairy Tail. We have accepted your request." introduced herself Erza.

"Ah, I see." said the mayor and gestured at the chair in front of his office, asking Erza to sit down. The knight took his offer and sat down. "First of all, I am honored to be graced by your presence, Miss Scarlet. You are quite famous in this region."

"I do not deserve your kind words." replied Erza with a gentle bow.

"Nonsense." laughed the mayor. "However, as much as honored I am to welcome you into our small town, I'm afraid you have come here for naught. The issue described in the request has already been resolved."

The knight frowned. "With all due respect, the request sent to our guild sounded to be an issue of quite a big scale. I refuse to believe this problem has been resolved on its own. If any guild before us had accepted the job, we would have been notified."

"The back entrance to the mine has been left open specifically because of this issue. It leads to an uninhabited area. The creatures that terrorized the mine have all left yesterday." said calmly the man. "I'm sorry you had to come all this way, but there's nothing I can do about it. To repay this mistake of mine, I will cover the expenses of your travel back and forth."

Erza continued to stare at the man, not buying his story one bit. Seeing that this front was closed, she decided to take a different approach.

"I understand. If the issue has already been resolved, then there's nothing left for us in here." said Erza. "However, I think there is one more thing you could help us with."

"I'd be glad to." smiled the elder.

"Upon our arrival, we've noticed that despite its quite expanded size, there were no people on the streets what so ever. However, in early hours the people swarm the streets, all of them in a hurry. Are those two things, the people and the mine, connected in any way?"

Checkmate. The mayor's face dropped, a small glimpse of panic spreading over his face for just one moment that was noticed by everyone present in the room.

"When we were out shopping yesterday, the people in the stores acted weird around us." said Gray after taking the hint. "Some of them even threw us out and told us to go somewhere else."

"It's almost as if they were afraid of anyone being outside." added Lucy.

The mayor was now sweating. After a short moment of shock, he laughed and waved his hand. "It must have been your imagination. My people, although kind, do not take well to strangers. Especially those with guild marks out for everyone to see." he pointed at Gray and Lucy. "We do not have a guild in our town, so the people are wary. I assure you, there is nothing dangerous in this-"

"Are you being threatened?" cut him off Erza. "Is the mine, as you said, full of "creatures"?"

The man shook his head. "I believe we're done here. Please wait downstairs, I shall write out the check that will cover your way back home."

"Did you decide to finally get rid of your oppressors and when you thought of the consequences, you started to fear for your people and decided to leave things as they are?" the knight pressed harder, her voice now barely above whisper.

"Please, leave!" yelled the mayor. He was not angry, nor did he intend to scream. He was afraid, plain and simple. This alone answered all of Erza's questions.

"I appreciate your concern. But there is nothing you can do. There is too much at risk here. Please, leave us and do not mention what's happening here to anyone." pleaded the mayor.

Erza was in a pinch. If she went in there right now and caused havok, she would be held responsible for acting without an official decision. She needed his permission.

Just when she was about to try and reason with the elder once again, Natsu walked up to her and patted her shoulder. Upon looking at him, she noticed he waved his head to the side, telling her to get out of the chair. She did so, and soon Natsu plopped on her seat, before leaning in towards the mayor.

"I'll be as clear as I possibly can." started Natsu. "There is one thing you must know, something you're probably not aware of. Whoever it is that terrorizes this town - they already know you tried to get rid of them."

The mayor's face became white in color. He opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but not a single sound came out.

"You want us gone? Fine." continued Natsu. "But let me tell you what will happen after we leave here, step by step. First, you will be visited by the people in charge. You will be confronted about what you've done. You will try to defend yourself, but they will not listen. They will either take you prisoner or torture you, to give you a lesson."

"Natsu, that's enough-" threw in Erza after taking a step in his direction, only to be stopped by Gray.

"Wait." he whispered.

Erza looked at him in disbelief, but complied and restrained herself for a while longer.

"Then, they will take care of the town. Best case scenario: couple destroyed buildings. Worst case, they will burn everything and kill everyone who lives here. Except you. You will watch everything and when the last victim lets out their last cry, they will leave you somewhere in the wild to die. They'll even leave you a rope to hang yourself on if they're kind. This is what is going to happen after we leave."

The mayor started to sob after finally breaking down. Salamander did not stop and leaned in even closer.

"Or, you can let us help you. Stamp the job, point out in the right direction and finally be free of this nightmare. In case of situations such as this one, the Council provides protection to the people, so even when we'll be gone, you'll still be protected."

The elder lifted his head and met Natsu's onyx eyes with his. "How can you be so sure?" he asked weakly.

"Because I've seen this happen many times. Both versions." answered grimly Natsu.

Erza and her team could only stare in shock. What seemed like an insensitive, inhuman act turned out to be plain, simple and pure experience. This must have been the reason he managed to convinced so many people to sell out their oppressors over the years, this must have been the way he managed to get the Council's attention.

"How can you even know if you can win?" asked the mayor.

Natsu dropped his intimidating face, his muscles relaxing. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't."

This seemed to be the last nail in the coffin. The elder wiped his face and once again faced Erza. "Very well. A chance like this might never happen again. I would rather die trying, than let my people perish for nothing."

"No one will die today. You have my word." assured him the knight. "Now please, tell us everything you know."

* * *

 **Six hours later, Birchwood Town Mine**

The team hid behind nearby bushes, their eyes glued to the entrance to the mine. There were two guards outside, with the rest of the guild inside. According to the mayor, they came down into the town once every week with all of their members to collect supplies and money. Today was the day of the next pickup.

"So, what's the plan?" Gray asked Erza. "We can't just sit here all day."

"We can't just barge in either. We must know how many of them are there and whether all of them are guild members." said Erza.

"Fifteen."

The trio turned around to look at Natsu, who was behind them, his nose continuously sniffing the air.

"There are fifteen people in there." repeated the Dragon Slayer. The mayor said there are 15 of them, so I guess we have the full set."

"I see." said Erza, while leaving a mental note about how much easier would future jobs be with his keen senses.

"So, what do we do now? Barge in?" asked Lucy.

The knight shook her head. "We can't. Even if the numbers match up, there is still a possibility of someone outside of our list of targets to be in there."

"If we wait long enough, they will leave and we will lose our chance." threw in Gray.

"I disagree. If we catch them on their way into the town, we'll have a higher chance of recognizing them and subduing them. That mine could be full of traps." Erza once again shook her head.

"If we catch them outside, they'll have a bigger chance of running away." argued Gray. "I say we ambush them in a tight place, with no way to run."

"Wrong."

Gray's head quickly turned around, his eyes landing on Natsu. "What?"

"Even if we catch them inside, they can always create their own exits, or simply use secret tunnels and bail out. If even one person escapes, it could all end in a disaster. Besides, this mine belongs to the town. By destroying it, we would be crippling them, even if we managed to capture everyone." explained the Dragon Slayer.

"So what do you propose?" asked him Lucy, his reasoning convincing her more than Gray's idea.

"We wait until they step outside and get them all at once."

Gray frowned. "Didn't you hear what I just said? That leaves them more escape routes!"

"If we ganged up on them as a group, yeah. But if one person crosses their way, they will take the challenge. That will be the moment they fall." replied calmly Natsu.

"I disagree with this idea." Erza shook her head. "We are a team, we have to stay together and cooperate. We can't just send one person to do all the work by themselves. That's how a team works, by working together."

Natsu met her eyes with his. "You didn't let me finish. While I'll be down there, you will support me by surrounding the area. I don't expect any of them to run away from me, but if it happens, you will be there to cut them off."

Erza bit her lip. She took this job to show Natsu what teamwork looked like, something he definitely lacked. Pushing all the responsibility onto him and letting him act on his own was something that went against her wishes. However, if it was for the sake of the mission...

"I've been doing stuff like this for years now. Trust me." pushed Natsu.

This seemed to do the trick. Although still hesitant, Erza slowly nodded to Natsu, with Gray and Lucy agreeing as well. Just when the team came to an agreement, their targets left the mine, heading towards the town.

"Be careful." the knight warned her team and with that said, the team split up, with Natsu walking down to meet the dark mages.

Not particularly hiding his presence, Natsu walked down the hill and walked towards the group with casual step in his legs.

After a short while he was spotted and the man who looked like the leader of the group raised his hand, causing his men to halt. He was a man of quite an abnormal build, standing at approximately 2 meters tall, with broad shoulders.

"You lost, buddy?" he asked, completely on guard.

"Not really." answered Natsu. "I'm here for you, actually. All of you." he added while gently leaning to the side to get a look at all the men behind the leader. 15 - perfect.

The man laughed. "I don't think you took the hint, son. I asked you: Are. You. Lost?" he repeated.

Natsu did not answer and continued to stare at the leader, his face unchanged. This pissed the man off beyond belief.

"I bet it's that damn mayor. He looked suspicious last week, I bet he grabbed what was left of his balls and sought help." laughed another man in the back.

"That true?" asked the leader quietly, now slowly walking up to Natsu. "You a merc? Did our good old friend pay you off to beat us up? I guess he still hasn't learned his lesson. Perhaps your head in a bag will be a good enough wake up call? Huh, what do you say?"

The man walked up to Natsu and put his hand on his head, tousling his hair. The Dragon Slayer continued to look him into the eyes, not intimidated at all. Since it was getting dark, it was hard to read the Dragon Slayer's face, so only when he got closer did he notice the scar on his face. This seemed to have calmed him down a little, at least enough to keep him talking.

"Take my advice, kid. You look like you've been through some shit in your life. I like people like you. You've never had it easy, you had to work for your survival. I don't want to kill you, so do me a favor and get out of here. I will turn a blind eye on this whole situation, and we will-"

Before he could finish his sentence he was struck with a flaming fist in the abdomen. The punch bent him like a twig, air and spit mixed with blood escaping his now wide from agony mouth. As if in slow motion he slid off Natsu's fist and fell before his feet, unconscious.

"B-boss!" yelled his men, shocked to see their leader being bested in one strike.

"How dare you do that to our boss?!"

"Kill him!"

As soon as the command was given, a group of at least eight people threw themselves at Natsu, knives and magic in their hands.

"Wait a second." whispered the youngest looking member of the guild, who stayed behind. "Black clothes, white scarf, fire magic...No way..."

Natsu was now mere few feet from his opponents, completely open and unguarded. Smirking in triumph, dark mages prepared to attack the Dragon Slayer all at once, not suspecting their upcoming defeat.

"Run!" roared the younger man all of a sudden. "Save yourselves! This guy is-"

Before he could finish his warning he felt his throat being crushed by pressure. The air became heavy, gravity increased around them. One by one, all of the remaining members of the dark guild fell to their knees, Natsu's magic power grinding them into the ground. Upon securing them all in one place, he then proceeded to walk towards them, before hitting the back of their heads one by one, rendering them unconscious, at the same time keeping them in binds with his magic.

Just when he knocked out the thirteenth man, Natsu walked up to the youngest one and stared deep into his eyes. The man met Natsu's eyes, a decision he immediately came to regret. Although his face was calm, his eyes did not belong to a human being.

"Salamander..." wheezed out the mage before receiving his share of Natsu's fist and fell onto his face, unconscious.

The Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and released his magic, before looking around the area. He successfully managed to capture all of his targets and prevented unnecessary violence and destruction. Happy with himself, he couldn't help but smirk at the sight of his work: it usually did not end up this well. He then turned around and raised his hand, a signal to his teammates.

"Well done." praised him Erza. "But next time, we do it together."

"Fine."

The knight nodded and Requipped a rope, before Lucy and Gray walked up to her.

"If I ask you really nicely, do you think you can find it in yourself not to do it ever again? At least when I'm around?" whined Lucy, aiming her words at Natsu.

"At least it wasn't as bad as last time." said Gray on his way towards Erza, before taking his share of rope from the knight.

"Lucy, Natsu, get to work. We must bind these men and let the Council know what happened here." threw in Erza, busy with tying the leader up.

"Sorry." said shortly Natsu before taking his rope and wrapping it around his last victim. All of this felt so weird. Usually, he was nowhere near as gentle with his targets as he was now. Thinking to himself that this was yet another part of the game he had to get used to, he tied the knot and Started with his second catch.

* * *

 **Noon of December 4th, Magnolia**

Shortly after they captured the dark mages, Erza notified the Council of what happened. An hour later, Birchwood Mine was visited by several Rune Knights led by Lahar. Upon receiving the testimony from both Erza and the mayor, Lahar concluded the report and thanked Erza for the service of both her and her team. He couldn't, however, hide his displeasure of being in Natsu's company, most likely not accustomed to working with him, rather than trying to capture him.

After learning of the fate of his oppressors, the mayor bawled like a child and continuously thanked Erza, making her uncomfortable in the process. She was forced to receive his gratitude, at the same time fighting his urge to paying ten times the amount of what they were promised. After long negotiations, she took the promised 800,000 and once again accepted the mayor's gratitude. The team then spent the night in their rented room and left the town in the morning, their way back passing by pretty much the same as how they got there.

"Well then, I'm out." said Gray upon getting out of the train at the station. "I got something to take care of."

"I think I'll take my leave, too. I'd give anything for a shower." breathed Lucy while stretching. "See you guys later!"

"Have fun." smiled Erza and watched the blonde leave with her eyes. She then turned to Natsu. "Are you, perhaps, headed in the guild's direction?. I must report to Master and talk to Levy."

"Yeah." mumbled Natsu in response. "Actually, wait, before we go..." he added as soon as the redhead turned around in her spot.

Erza turned her head back around and looked at him curiously. "Yes, what is it?"

Natsu reached out to his back pocket and pulled out a small box. "When I was out in the town two days ago, I saw something and decided to get it. Not for me, but...for you."

He awkwardly handed the box to the knight, who blinked in surprise. She was genuinely curious what he got her. Erza gently took the box out of Natsu's hand and opened it.

"I saw you walking around in those gloves and thought they simply did not fit, so I figured you could use something more...practical. I thought of your hair and that's where the color came from. I hope they're fine."

Inside the box was a pair of red wristbands. They were slightly longer than usual, reaching one-third of her forearms. As soon as he mentioned her gloves she knew what they were supposed to be used for and she couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you." she said after looking him in the eye. "They are way better than just fine. I really was getting tired of those gloves."

Without a warning she Requipped right in the middle of the station and emerged from the light clad in her blue skirt and white blouse. She pulled the bands over her wrists and admired her hands, smacking herself over the head for not thinking of picking up something this practical sooner. But deep down, she was glad she didn't.

"With each day you continue to amaze me..." she started after turning in his direction, only to meet his back with her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked him, now concerned. "Was it too bright?"

"Yeah." replied shortly Natsu. "It's just...when you do that I can see more than others. I think we already talked about it."

Erza blinked in confusion, and it took her good couple seconds to click. Her face slowly matched the color of her hair, and she quickly grabbed her bag and strolled across the station.

"W-well then, Let's just get back to the guild."

Shortly after Natsu caught up to her and walked by her side, his hands deep in his pockets.

"For this stunt, I am pushing the time of our reading lessons from 8 to 7 AM." she stated after a while of silence. "We start tomorrow."

The Dragon Slayer stopped walking and watched her pass him. "But I didn't even do anything!"

"6:30 AM."

"You're a demon."

"6 AM."

After that, Natsu's voice died down, replaced with the sound of his legs repeatedly kicking a nearby rock on the ground. The pair continued to walk through the town in silence, a silence they both enjoyed. Just being close to each other was enough, and both of them were about to find that out in the upcoming weeks.

 **End of Chapter 16. To be continued in Chapter 17: Struggle.**

* * *

 **In case you forgot(which you have every right to), the last bit about Erza being embarrassed comes from Chapter 4, where Natsu admitted to seeing her naked. Since he's kinda strong, so are his eyes, so whenever she changes armors he can see her naked for a split moment, more specifically between her Requips.**

 **This chapter may have seemed to be weak, but that's mostly because I am out of shape when it comes to writing. I promise next uploads will be much better, after all, we're slowly entering Tenrou Arc. I can tell you that - if you enjoyed my fights scenes up until now, you are going to love the ones that are about to come.**

 **I've already said everything I wanted to in the upper Note. Leave them reviews and see you next time! Which will not be as far as the last one.**


	18. Struggle

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, I had slight problems with my PC, however, here it is, Chapter 17! It's the last chapter before the next arc, so heat up your popcorn, because we're up for a fast, hardcore ride.**

 **Als, before we begin, there is a certain matter I'd like to touch. I know this might be awfully bold and cocky of me, but I was wondering if any of you fine people would be willing to give turning this story into a manga a chance. I would probably piss myself if I saw some of this story's moments on paper, and some of the fight scenes would make much more sense when drawn. I have no money to spend, so it would be a voluntary work, that's why I said I might come off as an ignorant bastard. This was just a thought I had one sleepless night, so if you're not interested, feel free to ignore this note and proceed with the chapter. If you are, however, then feel free to ask me for details in private messages. I answer them all.**

 **Update: I have to apologize. It appears many of you are disappointed with the title of this chapter, or rather the lack of any connections to the contains of the chapter. I had some Gildarts/Natsu scenes planned out, but I've pushed them aside for the time being. They will be used in later chapters. So, if you feel like I've failed you, forgive me.**

 **The title has been changed to "Struggle", which I think is a much better fit than the original title. Once again, sorry, and don't worry - you'll get your Gildarts greatness very soon. /End.**

 ** **For now, enjoy the chapter!****

* * *

 **Afternoon of December 21st, Fairy Tail Guild**

The second half of December looked exactly like its first, with each passing day being colder than the last one. Most of the town was covered both in snow and Christmas decorations, which was basically knocking on the door.

Despite that, many people could be seen running through the town, all of them dosing a familiar mark of Fairy Tail, each of them with a sheet of paper in their hands.

Wendy, who was one of the few who stayed in, wondered what was all the commotion about. She already asked the more experienced members, but all of them simply smiled at her, tousled her hair and told her to "wait until tomorrow". Tired of being treated like a kid, she decided to seek help of someone she knew wouldn't treat her the same way.

Wendy spotted alone Lucy at her team's usual hang out spot. She was reading a magazine with a slightly troubled face, some would even say annoyed. This was an unusual sight, but what was even more unusual, was Erza sitting by herself couple tables away, her face twisted in a small scowl, her hands crossed on her chest, with a pile of books placed in front of her on the table. If she hadn't known her, she would have thought the knight was sulking.

Processing the sight and hesitating for a while, Wendy shook her head and decided to suck it up and simply ask the girls what was troubling them, one by one. She's been told to practice her confidence, after all.

"Hello, Lucy." smiled Wendy after walking up to the table.

The blonde didn't seem to register the young Dragon Slayer's presence for a while. She frowned and lifted her head up to meet Wendy's eyes, her face relaxing as soon as she did.

"Oh, hey, Wendy." said Lucy, a small smile forming on her face. She closed her lecture and straightened her back. "What's up?"

Sighing in her mind, Wendy took a seat right beside Lucy.

"I wanted to ask you something." she said truthfully.

"Shoot." smiled Lucy.

Wendy blinked. "Are you sure? You looked slightly troubled a moment ago."

"Hm?" hummed Lucy. "Oh. Don't mind that. Team problems." she waved her hand with a grin. "Well? What did you want to talk about?"

"I was just wondering if you knew what was happening in the guild for the past few days. Everyone seems to be in a rush, they all race each other and nobody wants to tell me why."

Lucy's smiled paled. "Sorry, but I'm in the dark just as you are. Even my own team doesn't want to tell me what is happening." she sighed. "I guess all we can do is wait for tomorrow."

"I see." Wendy sighed. "Speaking of Erza..." she started and slowly shifted her eyes at the redhead. "Did something happen? Both of you looked troubled, almost like it was connected."

Lucy's smile was now completely gone. She stared at the Slayer for a while, before sighing and looking away.

"I guess the tension is getting to everyone. Nothing you have to worry about. I'm annoyed by Erza, and Erza is annoyed by...well."

Wendy blinked. "By what?"

"Apparently, Erza was teaching Natsu how to read, and since she has little to no teaching skills, it didn't take long for him to start skipping their lessons. Under normal circumstances she would have hunted him down and forced him to sit with her, but since he is slightly above her….well, she's not taking being told _no_ too well. So, because of that, she takes it out on me and Gray, probably without realising it." explained Lucy.

"I see." sweatdropped Wendy.

"Erza's been teaching someone how to read?" asked a loud voice behind her.

Wendy turned around, only to see Mirajane standing behind her, with a surprised frown glued to her face.

"So I've heard." replied Lucy. "Why?"

Mira snorted and sat beside Wendy. "I just find it funny, that's all."

Lucy's face darkened. "You know where he comes from. I don't think laughing at him-"

"I wasn't talking about him." retorted Mira truthfully. "I just find the idea of Erza teaching someone how to read comical. She's barely literate as it is, she's probably using it as an excuse to practice herself, hence her reaction."

Lucy's jaw almost met the table. "You serious?"

"Dead serious." smirked Mira. "Try making her read something that has more than six letters per word and enjoy the show."

Lucy put up her hands defensively. "I enjoy living, thank you very much."

Mira clicked her tongue. "You're no fun." she said before snatching Lucy's glass and gulping it down in one go. The blonde noticed that she did it with her left hand.

"How's your hand?" she asked with concern.

Mira looked at her and then shifted her eyes at her right hand. "Better, I guess. I've been told to avoid using it too much during the day, it's being put through hell during rehab as it is. I can't do most of usual daily tasks" she then suddenly punched her left hand and smirked "but I can still clobber someone when I have to. That, I have no problems with."

"Why doesn't it surprise me?" deadpanned Lucy.

Wendy couldn't help but laugh. Figuring out that there was nothing else to do during the day, she decided to take the first step and ask them something.

"Seeing all these people running around on jobs made me wonder." she started. "How about we went on a job as well?"

Lucy looked at the girl, surprised. This was definitely a first one.

Before she could answer, however, she was interrupted from behind by someone else.

"Going behind my back once again?"

Wendy cringed at the sound of the voice. Feeling like a scolded puppy, she slowly turned around and looked at the floor.

"Carla..."

"Don't even start." repeated the tubby, her paw raised in front of her face. "I've already told you, you won't go anywhere without me for a long time. Not after what you did last month."

Wendy groaned. During their mission at the Tower, Carla was on a long mission with Alzack and Bisca, one she'd returned from one week ago. After finding out what happened during her absence, she started controlling Wendy even more, if that was even possible. Besides, it's not like she wanted to go somewhere without her.

"But I didn't go there out of my own will..." repeated herself Wendy for the tenth time. "Master chose me. They needed me there! I didn't even go inside!"

"That's the only redeeming quality of that incident." shot her down Carla. "Besides, even if you wanted to pick something, the board is already empty."

Wendy looked at the request board, only to confirm the Exceed's words. It was completely empty, with pins and ripped pieces of paper being the only things that decorated it.

"Can't you just tell me what the hell is going on?" moaned Lucy to Mira, who smirked devilishly and shook her head.

"Not a chance."

Groaning, Lucy turned away from Mirajane in mocked anger and spotted Gray, who had just entered the guild. As he used to for the past few weeks, he had an unpleasant scowl glued to his face. Truth to be told, it appeared to worsen over time, if that was even possible. He met her eyes with his and made his way across the guild in her direction.

"Hey, Gray." greeted him Lucy when he walked up to their table.

Gray nodded in response, his mind focused on something else. "Mira, can we talk?"

"Sure. I got nothing to do anyway." sighed the Demon.

Suddenly, all women got startled when Gray smacked a glass bottle onto the table, setting it just before Mira, who looked at him questionably.

"Can we talk?" he repeated, this time heavily implying it was much more important than a friendly chat.

Mira frowned. He looked troubled, no, even more than that. Desperate was the right word. Not to mention his sudden out of character will to spend the day with a glass in his hand – he rarely touched liquor.

"Did something happen?" she asked him with unusual concern.

Before Gray could reply, he was cut off by the sound of painfully loud bells, loud enough to hurt ears of normal humans, let alone those with enhanced senses like Wendy, who clutched her head and grimaced from pain.

"What the hell is that sound?!" asked Lucy.

As soon as she asked this question, something fell from above and crashed into the nearby table, reducing it into a pile of splinters and dust. Natsu, who'd been hiding right under the roof, fell off his seat and crashed right into the middle of the hall. He got up and massaged his aching head, at the same time grimacing from the sound of the bells.

"The hell?" he groaned.

"Natsu!" roared Erza.

"Oh shit." he cursed under his nose. "Yo, Erza. I was just about to come to you-"

"No, you weren't." she cut him off with a sharp tone. If looks could kill, she'd be a murderer now.

"No, I wasn't." he admitted. "Anyway, what's up with all that noise? All the bells in the town are ringing."

"Could it be?" asked Gray, directing the question to Mira.

"Right about time he showed up." she smirked. "Bastard always likes to make an entrance."

"The manliest man in Fairy Tail is coming!" roared excited Elfman from back of the hall.

Not just him, most of the members gathered at the guild expressed their joy in screams and toasts. Those, who have left on a mission not so long ago were now back at the guild, speeding through the door one after another.

"What the hell is going on?" asked confused Lucy once again.

"It's Gildarts." explained Erza.

"Gildarts?" repeated Lucy. "I don't believe I've met him. Who is he?"

"He's the strongest mage in Fairy Tail. The fact you've never met him is not surprising – he spends most of his time outside of the guild." added Gray.

"Strongest in Fairy Tail?! You mean he's stronger than you and Mira?" asked shocked Lucy, directing the question to Erza.

"I can't hold a candle to him." the knight shook her head with a smile.

"What kind of a monster is he?!" sweatdropped Lucy. It was hard to imagine someone this superior.

"Why is everyone celebrating?" threw in curious Wendy.

"You know how there are S-Class Quests, right?" started Gray. After receiving a nod from the girl, he continued. "Above those, there are SS-Class Quests. They are S-Class Quests, that have not been completed in over a decade, and thus obtained the rank of SS. We call them Decade Quests, because nobody could beat them in 10 or more years. Gildarts specializes in something even higher – Century Quests."

"You mean nobody completed them in 100 years?!"

"Exactly." confirmed Erza with a smile. "It's been three years since we've seen him last time, hence the excitement. If you ask me, his return is rather late. Knowing him, he'd completed the quest in a month and spent the rest of the time wandering around."

"You didn't tell me there was something above S-Class jobs." said Natsu to Erza. "Let's go on an SS one tomorrow."

"Absolutely not."

While Natsu was arguing with Erza, the sound of the bells slightly died down, and was now replaced by a loud voice.

 _Attention, residents of Magnolia! The city will be now changing to Gildarts Shift! I repeat, Magnolia is changing to Gildarts Shift! All residents, please head to the designated areas!_

"Aren't they exaggerating a little?" asked Carla.

"Gildarts Shift? What is that?" added Lucy.

Mira smirked. "See for yourself." she said and gestured to the balcony.

Curiosity taking the best of her, Lucy climbed the stairs along with Wendy and Carla. After getting there, she felt her jaw fall to the floor.

The entire town was now shifting. Giant chunks of the town were switching places with each other, almost like a puzzle. After a while, the entire town has been reconstructed, with a long, straight path running right in the center, that led from the entry gates to the guild hall.

"What the hell is happening?!" exclaimed the blonde.

"Gildarts uses Crash Magic." explained Erza from behind her. She watched the spectacle with amusement. "He is capable of destroying entire buildings with a single touch, even against his own will. He could level down an entire neighborhood if he got lost in thoughts and walked right through it. The town has been rebuilt and designed to prevent that from happening, so that every time he entered it, he could walk right through it without any consequences."

"This is the most Fairy Tail sounding thing I have ever heard." deadpanned Lucy.

"I find it amazing!" added excited Wendy. "Right Carla?"

"Yes. Amazingly unprofitable."

Couple minutes later, a tall, male figure walked into the guild. His body was covered with a dark, torn cloak, his orange hair pulled down behind his head, exposing the entirety of his forehead. He adjusted the bag hanging over his right shoulder and looked around the guild with confused eyes and frowned.

He spotted Erza and company, who have just walked down the stairs and approached them.

"Excuse me, miss." started Gildarts. "If I recall correctly, this is where the Fairy Tail guild used to be."

"It still is." replied the knight with a smile. "And I'm Erza, by the way."

"What?" he asked surprised and covered the entirety of her figure with his eyes. He remembered her to be much more rough-looking the last time he'd seen her. "You sure have grown up a lot! So, this is the guild? Have you redecorated?!" he added with an excited voice, now taking in the interiors of the hall.

"You mean he didn't notice from outside?" sweatdropped Lucy.

"You sure haven't changed, old man." grinned Gray.

"Hey, Gray. Looks like you did some push-ups when I was gone." laughed Gildarts and tousled the Maker's hair, who playfully punched his arm away. "Man, it really changed around here. I can see lots of familiar faces" he said, as he looked over his "kids" with proud eyes "and few new ones." he added. His eyes fell on Natsu's and his face changed. "Oh?" he hummed under his nose.

"Gildarts!" called a voice from the bar counter.

The man turned around and smiled dearly at the sound of his Master's voice, before walking up to him. "Master! Long time no see!"

"It certainly has." nodded Makarov. "So, how was your mission?"

Gildarts wondered for a while, before bursting out in laughter. Already knowing the answer, Makarov lowered his head, his smile gone.

"I didn't make it. I'm not cut for it." he said and scratched the back of his head.

The guild was shocked.

"Gildarts didn't complete a request?!"

"He quit?!"

"Even the old man is not enough for that quest?" wondered Gray out loud.

"Knowing when to give up is a part of being a man." said Elfman with a reassuring nod.

" _Even the strongest mage in Fairy Tail failed?! Just how dangerous is that quest?"_ wondered Lucy in the thoughts.

"A Century Quest, eh?" whispered Natsu.

"Don't even think about it." shut him down Erza before he could even expand the thought.

"So not even you were enough..." sighed Makarov.

"Sorry, it will probably bring down our reputation..." said Gildarts with a small bow.

"Don't worry about it." Makarov waved his hand. "I'm just glad you've come back. You're the first one to get back alive, after all. Just seeing you in one piece is enough."

Gildarts snorted and put his hand on his stomach. "One piece, huh?" he questioned to himself. "That reminds me – I'm starving. How about we sit down I'll tell you everything about it?"

"It would be my pleasure." smiled Makarov and gestured at the seat beside him. "Listen up!" he yelled suddenly. "I know you have tons of questions, but for the time being let the man rest! There's going to be tons of time to catch up!"

Grunts of disappointment filled the hall.

"Quit it." commanded Erza. "Let's respect his wish and let him rest. There will be time for stories later, right now, focus on what you have to do today."

As soon as they were reminded of their tasks, the guild has once again been emptied, with barely anyone remaining. Those, who have stayed, walked back to their tables. Instead of going back to his earlier spot, Natsu willingly sat down with Erza and started his lessons. He made incredible progress in the last two weeks, despite Erza's unusual teaching methods.

Gildarts put his bag on the counter and plopped on his seat. He let out a tired sigh and reached out to his glass, already filled by Lisanna.

"So." started Makarov. "What really happened?"

Gildarts emptied his glass in one go and put it down on the counter. "I'll get to that in a moment. Before that, would you mind explaining to me why is a certain someone walking around with our mark?"

Makarov raised an eyebrow from behind his mug. "Do I sense hostility?"

"No. I trust your judgement. I'm simply surprised someone with his reputation is in our guild, instead of a cell."

"It's a long story, one I will tell you after you tell me why you have a prosthetic leg."

Gildarts laughed out loud and slapped the counter, cracking it in the process. "Did you figure it out because you saw me wearing two different shoes?"

"Partially."

That made Gildarts laugh even louder. Once he calmed down, Lisanna put down a mug of beer in front of him. After thanking her, he took a sip and began his story.

"I didn't fail the quest because of its difficulty. It was hard, but manageable. I was interrupted by a third party, one I could never deal with in my life."

"Is it safe to presume it wasn't human?" asked Makarov.

"It is. I was interrupted by a dragon."

Makarov's eyes widened. "A dragon?!"

Gildarts nodded. "Yeah. A big, mean, black as death dragon. They say dragons are intelligent, yet this one attacked me on sight. Talking to it wouldn't make any difference. Before I realised, he took my left arm and leg, along with some of my organs. They barely put me back together in a nearby town."

"Are you sure of its color?" asked Makarov, earning him a confused look from Gildarts.

"Yeah, no mistake about that. Why?"

"While you were gone, our guild obtained three more Dragon Slayers, each of them raised by a dragon. Since the color doesn't match any of them, I think it's safe to assume it was a completely different dragon." explained the elder.

"Three?! Then how many of them do we have now, four?"

"Correct." nodded Makarov. "Where have you encountered that dragon?"

"Saint Mt. Zonia. It's probably gone by now. If you ask me, it roams the world and appears only when something piques its interest. I don't know about dragons of those kids, but this one is definitely an enemy of humanity."

Makarov frowned. Although he'd never doubted the words of his kids, hearing that dragons were in fact alive and roaming the skies was simply shocking. Even though this information itself could be considered good, he had no heart to share it with Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy.

"Enough about me." Gildarts knocked the elder out of his thoughts. "Did I make in time?"

It took a second for Makarov to click. "Yes, I'd say you're just in time. We will announce it tomorrow. Then again, are you in shape to do your part?" he finished with concern.

Gildarts caressed his bandages torso and smiled lightly. "I would gladly get rid of this constant aching, but other than that, I'm fine. Even weakened, I'm still in shape to knock those kids around if needed." he finished with a laugh and took another sip of his beer.

Makarov chuckled as well. "I think this year you might have to put more effort into it. The guild has grown quite strong over the last three years."

"I believe it." said Gildarts while looking at something. Makarov curiously turned around, and followed the man's eyes. His old irises laid on the back of Natsu's pink head.

"Since we're already familiar with the next topic" said Makarov, his voice much quieter "there's a certain favor I'd like you to carry out."

Natsu turned around in his seat. With Makarov changing the volume of his voice, he was now unfamiliar with the current topic of their discussion. He turned back around and frowned at his book. So there were other dragons in the world. It wasn't Igneel, but it was definitely a clue, even if the dragon itself was a hostile piece of shit. With a strange feeling building up in his gut, Natsu raised his fist and clenched it in front of his nose. There was still hope.

"Are you listening to me?" asked him annoyed Erza.

Brought back to earth, Natsu relaxed his hand and looked at her, also annoyed. "Are you? I've asked you three times why we have to do it in here, and you still haven't answered me."

"Because I thought it'd be obvious." sighed the knight. "It's to open you up to the people. You can't talk only to me and treat others like air, even your team. If you act like an animal, people will treat you as such."

"I never said I had problems with the people." said Natsu. "Frankly, I spend quite a lot of time in the hall, even when there are people around."

"Yes, on the other end of the hall. Alone."

Natsu groaned and looked back to his book. He was too proud to tell her he found the idea of learning how to read with so many people around embarrassing. Have they been alone, he'd cause no trouble. In fact, all of their lessons took place in private, and he was more than fine with that.

"Why the sudden change anyway?" he asked her. "We've been doing it in private for so long, are we now gonna start doing it in front of the others as well?"

Couple tables behind them, Cana spat out her drink and started laughing out loud. Erza's face started to match the color of her hair. Even Lucy snorted into her hand. Natsu looked around, oblivious to what he said just sounded like.

"You sure act fast, Erza." mocked her Mirajane.

"Who would have thought?" joined in Lucy. Lately, Mira's indecent behavior was starting to rub off on the blonde, much to Erza's dismay.

"Did I just hear something?" asked Erza rhetorically, her aura emitting flames.

"Oh, she's mad." laughed Cana. "That's one of the main giveaways, you know."

Erza sucked her breath in and turned back around to her books, dictating Natsu the number of the next chapter in the meantime.

While Mira continued to laugh at Erza, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked up, only to spot Gray standing right behind her. He shook the bottle in invitation and raised his eyebrow. "Well?"

The Demon sighed. "Fine. Let's go somewhere less cramped."

"Where are you going?" asked them Lucy.

"Sorry, Lucy. Private stuff." said Gray in farewell and left the table with Mira by his side.

"I'm getting sick of all these secrets." sighed the blonde. "Should we go somewhere? It's still bright outside, and it's not like we'll do anything productive today." she asked Wendy.

The girl beamed and eagerly nodded. "Yes!"

"Okay, then. Go get dressed and I'll wait for you." smiled Lucy. Once Wendy ran to get her coat, she turned to the nearby Exceed. "What about you, Carla. Are you coming?"

"Of course." replied Carla. "I'd rather not get too far from Wendy, I've been away from her for too long already."

"It's not like we were going to repeat _that_ , you know." sweatdropped the blonde, but dropped the subject.

Shortly after, Wendy walked back to the table, now clad in her blue jacket and white gloves. "I'm ready!" she announced happily.

Lucy laughed at her eagerness. "Okay, then. Time to hit the city!"

 **An hour later**

With all hype settled down, the guild was now once again almost empty. After reporting to Makarov and getting something to eat, Gildarts headed to his home, his mind focused on his bed.

Natsu and Erza have also left the guild, both of them headed to their training grounds. Lately, they started to spar with each other, which usually lasted half a day.

Lucy and Wendy were still gone, both of them warming themselves up in a cafe on the other side of the town.

The guild was now basically empty, with Gray, Mirajane, Lisanna and Cana being the only ones in the building.

"So that's what's been bothering you." hummed Mira while pouring herself a new drink from the almost empty bottle. "That explains why you look like you're constantly sniffing shit."

Gray didn't react to this poor attempt of a joke. Instead, he focused on his glass. After throwing all of his burdens at Mira, he felt even worse than before, the complete opposite of what he'd expected.

"I can't sleep. Every time I manage to drift off, I can see it, bright as light. It's almost like I keep reliving it over and over again." he said quietly.

Mira looked at him. She couldn't blame him for feeling this way, hell, he was taking it much better than normal people would. Still, seeing him like this was beyond annoying.

"I still fail to understand why you came to me with all this." she said truthfully.

Gray looked at her. "I thought you could relate."

Mirajane blinked. She put down her glass harder than intended and leaned in against the table. "I get it now. You didn't come here to share your problems with me. You're here to learn how I'm dealing with this stuff. Am I right?"

Gray lifted his eyes to meet hers. Oh God, his face was so punchable now. Restraining herself for his own good, she simply watched him nod slowly, before his eyes landed back on his hands.

Mira sighed. "Fine. Though I probably won't be of any help to you." She took a sip and continued. "I don't regret killing him, if that's what you want to know. I didn't plan to, but that's how things turned out. And I sure as hell am not gonna beat myself up over it."

Gray sent her a look, one that possibly expressed disgust. She caught it and expanded her point.

"I'm not happy I did it, if that's what you're worried about. But I _am_ glad I did. If I hadn't done it, I would be the one dead. He was trying to kill me since the very beginning, and I fought for my life. I ended up killing him instead. I did it to protect my life, you did it to protect someone else. No matter what I say to you, I can't relate to your situation."

Just like she said, this didn't help him at all. He simply couldn't relate. Maybe if he did it in a different situation, he wouldn't feel as bad as he is right now?

"The better question is" said Mira and pointed at him with her finger "do _you_ regret doing it?"

Gray frowned. "What?"

"Do you regret killing that bitch, who was trying to cut your friend's throat?" asked Mira, her tone growing more stern.

"No." he said shortly. "It's just...I can't even describe it. I can't find any words to do it."

"Then don't." she commanded him. "Suck it up. Live with it. Realise, that what you did brought more good than harm. Realise, that if you hadn't done that, Lucy would be dead. Focus on the good side of your sin. Stop being so damn miserable, you're a man, aren't you?

He looked away. He knew all of that already, he just didn't know how to embrace it. He was never good at hiding his feelings, a trait Erza reminded him of many times in the past.

Seeing that it was futile, Mirajane sighed and leaned back. "If you really have to ask a specialist, I say do it. You won't be able to take the exams at this rate."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "A specialist?" he asked her with disbelief. "The hell are you talking about?"

"I'm pretty sure you have someone on your team who can help you more than I can."

Realisation hit Gray as hard as a hammer. "No way I can talk to her about that." he said defensively. "I don't want her to remember all of that."

"I wasn't talking about her." shot him down Mira, sending him a suggestive look.

This time it took slightly longer to click. "You serious?" he asked her, not sure whether he heard her right.

Mira shrugged. "I'm confident enough to say he's the most experienced member of the guild, at least in that regard. Who knows, maybe he can help you. Maybe he will find a way to tell you the same thing I've just told you, only more effectively."

The Maker continued to stare at the woman in disbelief. Was she actually serious? He'd never thought about that. Although, no matter how ridiculous that sounded, he'd be a liar if he said it didn't make sense. Still, approaching someone he barely knew with a topic like that was simply uncomfortable.

"Or" continued Mira "you can continue being a miserable bitch and fail the exams at the very start. Guilt and self blame are heavier than any rocks, I know that all too well. But don't expect me to go easy on you because of that. I will grind you into the ground and fail you before you even realise it."

She stood up from her seat and stretched. Just when she was about to leave, she walked up behind Gray and put her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want that to happen." she whispered, her voice much softer. "Stop being stubborn and let someone help you. You don't damage your pride by asking for help - you do it by rejecting those close to you."

Gray lowered his head and clenched his fists. In her own, messed up way, she knew how to get to someone, no matter how rough she was.

"That is the lesson this big sister is going to give you." she grinned and walked away, leaving Gray alone with his thoughts.

However, unlike before, he finally knew what to do.

* * *

 **Another hour later, fields outside of Magnolia**

Gray walked through the dark forest, the moon lighting up his path rather nicely. He pulled frozen branches out of the way and spotted a massive plain just outside if the forest. According to Lisanna, this is where they held their training sessions, although even without her directions he'd know it. The ground was severely scorched and sliced - it looked like a battlefield.

"Yo." called a voice. Gray looked to his left and spotted Natsu, whose back was against a tree.

The Maker walked up to the Dragon Slayer, looking around in the meantime. "Is Erza here?" he asked him.

"She went to the town to get some water." replied Natsu. "She should be back in a moment, though, I can still smell her. Why?"

Gray sighed through his nose and sat beside Natsu, much to his surprise. He instinctively moved to the side, although not much. Gray didn't seem to care, as he simply planted his back against the tree and looked up into the sky.

"Can I ask you something?" he broke the silence after a while.

Natsu arched an eyebrow. "Sure."

Gray took a deep breath and met his onyx eyes with his. "How can you live with yourself?" he asked in a calm voice.

This question sounded so wrong, so rude, and yet so adequate. It perfectly fit the theme of his problem. Natsu frowned at this question and searched Gray's face, looking for any kind of giveaways dictating this was a joke, an insult or something completely else.

"What?" he asked him, confused.

"You've killed people. How can you live with that?"

Natsu's frown relaxed. He was starting to connect the dots.

"Is this about Jolene?" he asked the Maker quietly.

Gray cringed at the sound of the woman's name, which confirmed Natsu's suspicion.

"Even her name makes me shake." said Gray with a forced smile. He once again looked into the sky. "Ever since we got back, I felt like shit. I see her every time I close my eyes, her eyes losing color, her voice trying to desperately come out of her throat. The sound she made when she dropped on the floor, lifeless. At the time I didn't give it a thought, I was too focused on the others. But once everything calmed down and I could finally sit down, alone, that's when it kicked in. Disgust. I was disgusted with myself, I could see her blood on my hands every time I looked at them. I know that if I hadn't done it, people close to me would have died. But that doesn't make it any easier."

Natsu listened in silence, letting the man let it all out. There were many levels he could relate to him on.

"I know I shouldn't, but I was listening to your conversation with Erza." he admitted, slightly shocking Natsu. "You felt the same, right? When you killed that Grigol guy. That's why I asked you how you could live with yourself. Because I know I can't. Somewhere deep inside, I hate myself, and no matter how many times I tell myself it was justified, I still hate myself. I'm a murderer."

Natsu's eyes were covered by his hair. He slowly stood up, much to Gray's surprise. Suddenly, he turned on his feet and landed a powerful left hook on Gray's right cheek, sending him flying through the tree he was resting under. The Maker rolled on the ground, before getting on all fours and coming to a halt.

"What the hell?!" he roared at the approaching Dragon Slayer.

"Do you hate me?" asked him Natsu.

Gray blinked in confusion. "What the-"

Before he could react properly, he was struck in the stomach, a nasty uppercut bending him like a pocket knife. Gray fell to his knees, unable to take a breath.

"Do you hate me?" repeated Natsu.

Gray looked at him with angry eyes, but didn't say anything. Natsu lifted his leg up and put his foot on top of Gray's head, grinding it into the ground.

"Do you want to kill me?" asked the Dragon Slayer, his foot still on Gray's head.

Gray's fingers curled up, snow and cold soil gathering in his grit fists. He moved his head to the side so he could talk and hissed through his teeth.

"No."

Natsu set his foot off Gray's head and stepped back, allowing the man to stand up. Just when he was about to speak out, he was interrupted.

"I tried to kill you a month ago." stated calmly Natsu. "And yet, you've found it in yourself to forgive me. I tried to kill you, again, and you still had it in you to not want the worst for me. If you can forgive someone like me, why can't you forgive yourself?"

Gray stared at the Slayer in shock, his mouth agape. What was he going on about?

"You're clearly haunted by what you've done. You're a kind man, Gray. The very fact you feel remorse proves you're human. Are you a murderer? Yes. But think about how you've become one, rather than the fact itself."

Natsu turned around and walked back to his spot. Although hesitantly, Gray followed him and sat under a new tree, his hands still on his aching stomach.

"There was an incident 5 years ago." continued Natsu. "I just got on Seven Commandments' tail. I was in the middle of destroying one of their guilds. I was doing great, nobody escaped, my mind clear, everything under control. And then, I noticed one of them carrying a slave girl in his arms. He threatened that if I didn't leave, he'd kill her. I started to panic. She was looking at me with hopeful eyes, afraid, fragile. When I met her gaze, something inside of me broke. I panicked. Without thinking I dashed as hard as I could and grabbed his face. I burned it. I kept burning it, even when his screams died down and the grip on my arm loosened. I let go only when his skin was sticking to my hand."

Gray listened to the story, disturbed.

"That was the first man I killed. At the time, I felt terrible. I couldn't look at him. But then I looked at the girl I just saved, and I started to tell myself - it was for her. I did it to protect her. With that in my head, I finished the job and walked away, only to then fall asleep and wake up couple hours later to continue my journey. I repeated this every time an accident like that happened. _I did it for that, I did it because of this._ Every time I doubted myself, I kept telling myself that there was a reason for what I did, no matter how loud the voices in my head, even though I knew damn well, that half of those incidents could have been resolved without taking a life."

He looked at shocked Gray, his eyes black as night. It took the Maker a second to realise he was no longer talking to Natsu, but Salamander.

"You asked me how I could live with myself. I had no other choice. I had a goal I had to fulfill, I had something that kept me going. I didn't like what I was doing one bit, but I didn't stop. I struggled and pushed through, because the only other option I had was death."

"Where are you going with this?" asked Gray, confusion taking control of his face.

"Hating yourself over killing someone is natural. There would be something extremely wrong with you if you didn't. Taking someone's life is the worst act a human can possibly commit. However, the circumstances that led to this sin matter. A lot." continued Natsu. "You did it to protect someone important to you. You did it, because you saw no other choice. You didn't do it out of hatred, greed or because you wished for it. You did it, because you saw no other way out of that situation. There may have been another way, one that wouldn't result in Jolene's death, but you didn't take it. You took what you had at the moment, and because of that, Lucy and Juvia are alive, while Jolene is rotting in the ground."

Gray looked at his hands. He opened his palms and took their full sight. This is what he's been telling himself for the past month, but it brought no comfort. Could he really learn how to live with this?

"People kill out of choice. They do it for fame, money, thrill, enjoyment, fun, duty, out of greed, jealousy, hatred. But sometimes, we don't get the luxury of choosing. When someone you hold dear, someone you love is about to die, you don't think about yourself, or your feelings. Your beliefs and rules don't matter, your code of honor no longer exists. You let your body move on its own, and later on deal with the results. Whether you fail or succeed, you're always left with that bitter taste in your mouth, but that's where the real battle begins. If you let it consume you, you'll be crippled. Forever." said Natsu.

Gray looked at him, his doubts slowly beginning to dispell. "How do I fight it?" he asked quietly.

Natsu returned the gaze, his eyes much softer than before. "You don't. You embrace it. You struggle. You learn to live with this weight on your chest and continue on with your life. Every time you start to doubt yourself, you remind yourself why you did it. For what purpose. You've dirtied your hands so that your friends could live. Those, who aren't ready to sacrifice something, can't possibly protect anything. Can't change anything. Because you did it, both of your friends are alive and well. So take it head on, accept what you've done, and if you can't deal with it on your own, ask others for help. Just like you're doing now." he finished with a small smirk.

His shell broke. For some unexplainable reason, the mental war he'd been fighting for the past month was slowly coming to an end. Natsu's point of view allowed Gray to see things from a different perspective, one he'd never come up with on his own. With the newly found resolve and will, along with a boost of confidence, he looked at the Dragon Slayer and smirked.

"I think Erza's company is slowly rubbing off on you." he teased Natsu. "I felt like I was talking to her male version."

Natsu grinned. "I guess I'm not the only one who noticed it, then. Well, she helped me as well. I guess what goes around comes around."

Gray wanted to laugh, but was stopped by his sore ribs. "Did you really have to hit me so damn hard, though?" he complained with an annoyed frown.

Natsu blinked and looked at him, his face stoic. "That was for eavesdropping."

Gray snorted. "Prick."

"Pervert."

With this exchange, both men continued to sit under the trees, their eyes glued to the sky. Unbeknownst to both of them, their conversation was overheard by a redheaded knight, who stood couple trees away, her back planted against the cold trunk. She stared at her feet, deep in thoughts. She lifted her right hand and examined it, before giving it a light squeeze.

"A choice, huh?"

* * *

 **December 22nd, Fairy Tail Guild**

The next day was even more bizarre than the last week combined. Now, unlike previously, the entire guild was packed with people, all of them rambling to each other in excitement. The bar had been turned into a stage, with giant curtains covering its interiors. The request board has also been taken away, much to Wendy and Lucy's surprise.

"Are we having a festival?" asked Wendy, slightly excited at the thought.

"At this point, nothing will surprise me." said Lucy. "I'm just glad I'll finally learn the source of all this chaos."

"Yo!"

Both girls were greeted by a familiar voice from behind, with Gray approaching them. His face was relaxed and overall, he looked much better than yesterday.

"Hey." greeted him back Lucy. She then took in his sight and felt her eyes widen. "Did something happen? You look a lot...fresher."

Gray smirked. "Yeah, things changed. I thought it was about damn time I man up and stop causing problems to others. Sorry for being a dick over the past few weeks, by the way." he apologized to the blonde.

"As long as you understand."

"Aren't you supposed to say "No problem"?"

"I am, but that would be a lie."

Gray grit his teeth in mocked anger, before feeling a tap on his shoulder. He turned around, only to see Natsu's annoyed face.

"Can you at least tell me why you wanted me to be here so badly?" he groaned. "Especially when it's so damn crowded in here?"

"I dragged you with me, because I felt that you should be here." explained Gray. "I have this disgusting feeling you should be around when it happens."

Natsu frowned. "When what happens?"

"You'll find out in a moment, living torch."

"The hell did you just call me?"

Gray looked away from the Dragon Slayer, ignoring his question. Just when he did so, he spotted the curtains being lifted. A short moment, later, the guild was met with the sight of Makarov standing right at the center of the stage, with Erza, Laxus, Mirajane and Gildarts standing behind him.

At the sight of said mages, the guild erupted in even more cheers, if that was even possible. Makarov quickly raised his hand, signalising the guild to remain quiet. They complied almost immediately.

"Fairy Tail!" roared the elder. "As we have done for years, the time has come! I shall now announce the candidates for the upcoming S-Class Wizard Exams!"

The guild blew up once again. Gray smirked and punched his hand, icy mist coming out of his palm. "The time has finally come." he grinned.

Lucy stared at the stage, shocked.

"S-Class Wizard Exams?!"

 **End of Chapter 17. To be continued in Chapter 18: Partner**

* * *

 **Sorry for cutting the chapter in such a way, but it couldn't be done better. Rest assured, yours truly has a gift for you all. Expect to see it in a couple days.**

 **As you've probably noticed, we are entering Tenrou Arc in the next chapter. That also means I will be reaching out to canon material. Although my story will have tons of original content, some of it will be taken from the manga, so forgive me for repeating the scenes 1:1. Hell, even this chapter had scenes taken right out of manga.**

 **I think I did an alright job with dialogue in this chapter. I wanted to show you guys more of Natsu's experience he gained during his "career". I also wanted to give Gray more focus, because to be fair, this story was slowly shifting towards Natsu and Erza, with everyone else being pushed to the sidelines. I hope I did an alright job with portraying his problems. If not, let me know what I did wrong in reviews. I read and answer them all. Most of them. Yeah.**

 **That's it for now. See you soon!**


	19. Partner

**Hey guys, chapter 18, coming right up! Sorry for not making it on Christmas, private stuff got in my way. I'll make it up to you.**

 **This chapter is slightly slow and much shorter than others, but that's because I wanted to keep this part of the arc in one place, without stretching it out.**

 **I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

"S-Class Wizard Exam?!" repeated Lucy in shock. She quickly looked over at Gray, who had a confident smirk glued to his face. "Is that what all of this has been about?"

"Yeah." he said. "Every year, Master chooses a few of us to take a part in the exam. One S-Class Wizard per year."

"That would explain all this chaos." remarked Carla from Wendy's arms.

The guild was now once again loud from cheering.

"Hurry up and tell us, Master!"

"Don't keep us waiting!"

Erza's face twitched, and Lucy immediately knew what was about to happen.

"Silence!" roared the knight, successfully muting the hall. "Behave yourselves!"

"Master isn't finished talking." added Gildarts, his tone not leaving much room for discussion.

Makarov looked at his examiners with gratitude and cleared his throat. The guild awaited the names in anticipation.

"This year's Exam will take place on Tenrou Island! The sacred ground of our guild!"

"This year?" asked Lucy.

"It's different each year." explained Warren. "You never know what you're up against until you get there."

"And it's always hard." added Alzack.

"After all, those who pass become S-Class!" said Elfman with pride.

"For the past year" roared Makarov "I have been observing you. Your hearts, your resolves, your desire to follow down the path of magic! I have taken them all under consideration! I have considered these individuals to be a cut above the rest!"

"Gray Fullbuster!"

Gray punched his left hand and grinned wickedly, icy mist emitting from his body.

"As expected." smirked Elfman at his rival.

"Can't say I'm surprised, either." added Lucy with a small smile, proud of her teammate.

"Juvia Lockser!"

Juvia blinked. "Me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Elfman Strauss!"

The man roared and threw his hands into the air, those around him covering their ears, although, nobody had the heart to scold him. This time.

"Sis! I'll be joining you soon!" he exclaimed.

Mirajane facepalmed on the stage, with Erza chuckling at her embarrassment.

"Cana Alberona!"

Cana didn't say a word. She simply lowered her head and sighed, a sight very unnatural when it came to her usual carefree, cheerful personality.

"Freed Justine!"

"I shall follow in Laxus' footsteps." stated proudly Freed, with Bickslow patting him on the shoulder in joy.

"Lecy McGarden!"

"Finally...my turn." whispered to herself Levy.

"Mest Gryder!"

A man with very short, black hair raised his head proudly, his eyes grateful for Makarov's choice.

"Man, he was so close last year." whistled Warren.

"I wonder if he'll take it this year." wondered someone at the back of the crowd.

"But Gray's there. And Elfman!"

"This year is going to be packed!"

"Wait a second." frowned Jet. "Master nominated seven people. There's still one more."

Admitting that he was right, the guild looked curiously at Makarov. The elder looked over the crowd and closed his eyes. Erza looked at him, her brow furrowed. Why was he hesitating?

Shortly, the guild started to get impatient.

"Just tell us already, Master!"

"It better be me." said Gajeel, gritting his teeth that he hasn't been chosen already.

After what felt like a minute, Makarov slowly opened his eyes, before speaking out.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

The guild went quiet. Everyone, including the S-Class mages looked at Makarov, shocked. Erza stared at the back of his head in disbelief. He must've known the consequences of this choice.

"Him?" asked Macao, his eyes slowly shifting at the Dragon Slayer. "But..."

Whispers of disapproval and disappointment echoed across the hall. Lucy looked around the guild unsettled, the sudden change of the atmosphere creeping her out.

"Gramps sure knows how to play on people's nerves." hummed Gray under his nose. He appeared to be somewhat expecting this outcome.

Gajeel clicked his tongue in irritation. "Salamander gets chosen, but not me? What a load of crap."

"Explain, Master!" yelled Droy. "How come _he_ gets chosen?!"

"This has to be a mistake!"

The voices were slowly becoming louder. Sensing an upcoming conflict, Erza bit her lip and opened her mouth, ready to speak out.

"Don't." she heard, with Laxus cutting her off. "Old man knows what he's doing. Leave it to him."

"But.."

"Even if you try to convince them, the only thing that will do is piss them off even more. They are scared of him more than you, believe it or not. He wouldn't have said that if he didn't know what to do next. Let him explain, and if it's still needed, step in once he's done."

"I am well aware of that." hissed Erza. "But still-"

"Wait." said Gildarts and gently grabbed her arm. Not even a moment later, Erza winced and forcefully shook her arm out of his grip, leaving him stunned.

"Oh. Forgive me." he mumbled.

"No, I am the one who should apologize. That was uncalled for." smiled gently the redhead, her hand gently shaking.

"I refuse."

Erza's head snapped to the side, her eyes growing wide. So did most of the guild, as they all looked at Natsu, who simply stood behind Gray, his eyes glued to Makarov's. Gildarts kept his eyes locked on Erza's arms for just a while longer, before also shifting his gaze away, his eyes unintentionally glaring daggers at the Slayer.

"Excuse me?" asked him Makarov, almost as if trying to confirm he heard the boy right.

"I refuse. I won't take a part in this exam." repeated Natsu. "I don't care about the rank, and there are people who'd been here much longer than me. So, I refuse."

Makarov appeared to consider Natsu's decision. Everyone stared at Natsu in awe, unsure what to do. They got what they wanted, but hearing him say it by himself made them unsure how to feel about it.

The Master exhaled through his nose. "I see." he said after a long pause. "Refusal rejected."

Natsu's mouth opened on its own. "What?"

"I said, I refuse your refusal." repeated Makarov. "You will take a part in this exam. Objection is not an option."

Now it was Natsu's turn to be speechless.

"Since we're all already familiar with the topic," roared Makarov, kindly suggesting his kids stayed quiet and let him talk "allow me to expand a certain matter that I wished to speak out on for the past month, but kept to myself."

Erza's eyes narrowed. Has Master been hiding something from them? From her?

"When I first brought this young man to our guild" continued the Master, pointing at Natsu with his hand "I told you he joined us on special terms. And I wasn't lying. However, those terms were not dictated by me, but the Council itself. For his commitment in the incident from a month ago, he was released from prison and given under our custody."

The guild listened in silence. This was not a bit they were familiar with.

"The conditions we've been given are inhuman, to say the least. While they did try to make it look like they gave him a second chance, in reality they want us to keep him locked in a cage, like some sort of a wild animal."

The members started to talk amongst each other. While their voices were less hostile, they still expressed disapproval.

"I refuse to bind a young, talented, but slightly misguided man in chains, just because someone of higher authority is too scared to give him a chance." exclaimed Makarov, once again silencing the guild. "He has both the power and the wits that are worthy of becoming an S-Class Mage. The only thing he lacks, is guidance. And guidance he will receive."

"Master." called Freed, with his hand raised.

"Yes, Freed?"

"Personally, I have no objections against his participation." said Freed. "But, don't you think it is a little bit too early? This is simply not fair to those, who have been here for years. I think giving him a chance next year will be the more effective outcome, as not only will he be able to prove himself to us and the Council during the upcoming months, he will also me more eligible to obtain the rank."

"I've got nothing against the guy anymore." added Macao from back of the crowd. "But Freed is right. It's way too soon."

"I am well aware of those facts." replied Makarov. "Which is why this exam will have two special alterations. First of all, Natsu's exam will be different from yours. He will be given strict instructions that will separate him from the rest of you. If you're worried about his part being easier, trust me, you couldn't be more mistaken. Second, unlike in previous years, there will be more than one S-Class coming out of this exam. Each participant will be allowed to pick a partner, who will aid them in the exam. If both the candidate and partner pass all of the stages, they will be both named S-Class Mages. However, this rule will be applied only if both of you pass the exam. If your partner fails, the candidate will move on on their own. If the candidate fails, both of you get knocked out."

"You gotta be kidding me." choked Jet, unsure whether to be happy or mad.

"I...did not expect that." admitted Gray.

"Have these rules been applied only because of Natsu's participation?" asked Lisanna.

"Partially." said Makarov. "I was already aware of all of your complaints before I even announced the exam. I have also decided to make the exam a little more interesting, therefore, this year I decided to give two people a chance. This exam will test your bonds, teamwork, wits, abilities and how you'll deal with your friends, who will turn into your enemies upon entering the island."

"Damn geezer." smirked Gray under his nose.

Lucy blinked at him. "What?"

"He knew he'd piss the guild off by picking him, so he gave 8 more people a chance as recompensation. This year is going to be crazy."

"Have you ever taken a part in the exams?" she asked him curiously.

"No." he shook his head. "But we've been allowed to watch. It's crazy with 8 people, let alone 16. Old man raised the bar three meters higher."

"There are three rules that must be met to successfully pick a partner." stated Erza. "First, they must be a member of Fairy Tail. Second, they cannot be an S-Class mage. Thirdly, the eight people chosen by Master cannot team up with each other. Your partner must be someone outside of the eight."

"The details of the exam will be revealed on Tenrou Island." said Laxus.

"On top of that, we will be trying to block you from proceeding further." added Mira with a smirk.

"You mean you have to beat Erza and Mira to become S-Class?!" Lucy asked Gray.

"You see why it's so hard now?" threw in Macao.

"Well, I think they'll go easy on us...a little." sweatdropped Gray, not believing his own words.

"Wait a second." gulped Levy. " _We?"_

Gildarts grinned. "Stop whining. This is the path all the S-Class have gone down. I believe in you all."

"Gildarts will be trying to stop them?!"

"Looking forward to it." smirked Laxus.

"Laxus too?!"

"This exam has officially gone down in history as the most messed up." deadpanned Jet.

"What do you mean?" asked him Wendy.

"Laxus and Gildarts did not take a part in any of the previous exams. It's always been just Erza and Mira." explained Levy. "I'm starting to regret being chosen." she added with a sigh.

"The exam will take place 7 days from now! We shall meet in Hargeon Port at 8 AM. I hope you spend the upcoming week wisely and prepare best to your ability! Dismissed!" announced Makarov and walked off the stage, every single of his moves carefully observed by a frowning Erza. He may have been sneaky, but this time, he left behind too big of a trail.

* * *

 **An hour later**

With the emotions finally thinning away, the guild returned to its previous activities, as they now gathered around in large groups.

Gray, Lisanna, Juvia, Wendy, Lucy, Elfman, Freed and Mira sat together by one, big table.

"I still can't believe Master did it." Elfman shook his head .

Mira put down her mug and looked at her brother with an annoyed expression. "Stop whining already. What's done is done, deal with it. Focus on yourself and pray to the gods you don't meet me in the exam. I won't go easy on you, even if you are my brother."

Although he tried his best not to show it, Lucy could see the man was slowly starting to sweat.

"Master mentioned partners." said Wendy. "What did he mean, exactly?"

"Sometimes, the candidates are allowed to pick a partner to help them with the exam." explained Levy. "However, only the chosen ones could obtain the ranks, partners were there purely for support. This year's rules are the first time the rule of one has been broken."

Lucy frowned. "The rule of one?" she repeated.

"That's what we call it." said Gray. "Each year, one person took the rank. Couple years ago, the only S-Class we had was Gildarts. Then Gramps started to host the exams every year, and couple years later we had 5 of them. This year's exam will probably be the toughest yet."

"Sounds like trouble." laughed Wendy.

"He's right, you know." pointed out Freed. "Although most of the candidates are first timers, the competition is probably harder than any other year. And with the partner rule present, this exam will be written down in history."

"Speaking of partners." started Lucy. "Have you guys decided who you'll partner with? "

"I'm going with Bickslow." said Freed.

"How surprising." snorted Mira.

"I don't think I should be here." stated quietly Juvia.

"What are you talking about?" asked her Gray. "You're more than qualified to take a part."

"She's saying that because she wants to be your partner." Lucy poked Gray with her elbow with a smirk.

"True." said Juvia, this time louder. "But I just don't belong here. I'm not cut for it."

"Nonsense." Lisanna shook her head. "Gray is right, you are more than good enough. Tell you what, I'll partner with you."

Juvia blinked. "Excuse me?"

"See? You don't need me as a partner." smiled Gray. "Besides, I've already decided on who I'll team up with."

As soon as he said that, Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was met with a big mess of orange hair smiling down at her.

"Long time no see, everyone." smiled Loke.

"Huh?" choked out Lucy.

"We made a promise last year, that we would partner up if either of us got picked." grinned Gray and fistbumped the spirit. "So this year, we're fulfilling it."

"Sorry, Lucy, but I'll have to cancel our contract for the time being." said Loke. "Don't worry, I'm using my own magic to stay here, so no harm will come to you."

"I'm in your care, partner."

"Don't you worry, I'll carry you to the rank if I have to."

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Selfish, aren't you? Since when were you so buddy-buddy anyway?"

"So, there you have it." Gray ignored Lucy and grinned at Juvia, before extending his hand towards her. "Looks like we'll be fighting each other in a week. I was kinda hoping for a rematch with you."

The bluenette stared at the hand, before smiling a little and taking it. "If it comes to that, may the better one win."

Gray's mouth opened in slight shock, but soon gave in to a proud smile.

"I'll make sure you come out victorious, Juvia!" grinned Lisanna.

"Lisanna..."

"Wait a second, Lisanna!" screamed panicked Elfman. "If you're partnering up with her, who am I going to team up with?!"

"Looks like there's someone who's been sending hateful glares at our table for the past ten minutes now." giggled the girl and pointed at the bar counter. "She's probably mad Freed teamed up with Bickslow."

Elfman looked in the direction, only to be met with Evergreen's stone cold stare drilling a hole in his very soul. He met her eyes for a short moment, before turning back around.

"Well then, looks like I'm passing this exam without a partner."

"I heard that!" she yelled from the counter.

"At least you guys have a chance at passing." smiled nervously Levy. "I'll probably get knocked out in the first ten minutes."

"Yeah, you will." said a voice behind her. She turned around only to meet Gajeel's eyes staring down at her. "Guess I have no choice. I'll team up with you."

"She didn't even ask you, though." stated Pantherlily from behind him.

Gajeel ignored him. "So, what do you say? I'll beat the crap out of anyone who stands in your way."

Levy sighed. "I have no chance. I'm small, and compared to everyone else, I might as well be a kid. I'll lose quickly."

"Keep saying shit like that and you really will fail." Gajeel said while picking her up by the collar.

"Hey, let me go!"

"I'll make you shoot for the stars." said proudly Gajeel.

Jet and Droy simply watched the scene from afar.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't see that coming." deadpanned Jet. Droy nodded.

"Partner, huh?" muttered Wendy to herself. She looked over her shoulder at a certain someone, who sat at the back of the guild on their own.

"Something wrong, Wendy?" asked her Carla.

The girl shook her head. "No. What about you? You've been quiet for a while now."

"I have a bad feeling about this exam." admitted the Exceed. "I'd like you not to get involved. Could you do that for me?"

Wendy simply laughed nervously in response.

* * *

 **Meanwhile**

"What are you hiding from me, Master?"

Makarov arched an eyebrow from behind his cup of tea. He set it down and cleared his throat.

"Nothing at all. What gives you this impression?"

Erza, who was sitting on the other side of his desk took a sip from her own cup as well, before replying. "It's not going to work on me anymore. Please, tell me."

The elder sighed through his nose. "Am I losing my touch?"

"I'd say the opposite, I am becoming better at sensing it."

Makarov laughed and set his tea down on the desk. "Well then. What would you like to know?"

"Everything." responded quickly Erza.

Makarov laughed. "Don't we all?" he asked her.

Not in the mood for jokes, Erza continued to drill a hole in his head, which made the elder uncomfortable. "Right. " he cleared his throat. "What would you like to know first?"

"Why have you chosen Natsu to take the exam?"

Makarov did not reply at first. He leaned back in his chair and gently sighed. "Before I get to that, answer me this, do you feel about this boy?"

The knight blinked. "Pardon?"

"It is obvious to everyone who has eyes, that the two of you have taken liking to each other." smiled mischievously Makarov. "Possibly something more than that."

Heat rose to Erza's cheeks. "Nonsense. We are simply friends and teammates."

"I've heard about your daily trips into the woods." he said with a smirk.

Of course he has. Damn Mira.

"We have been training together for the past two weeks." she explained. "We've decided to do it outside of town to avoid panic and destruction."

"I see." mumbled disappointed Makarov. "Still, you have to feel some sort of a connection to him. You've never been this open to anyone before."

Erza opened her mouth to protest, but nothing came out of her mouth. She slowly closed it and sighed, a small smile forming on her face. "I find it easier to reach out to him, than others. I feel that our relationship is built on understanding each other and trust. I think our experiences may have something to do with it. However, that doesn't mean I put him over the rest of the guild." she added quickly, as if trying to reassure Makarov.

"I never suggested that." said the elder with a smile. Whatever it was that boy did to help her change this much, he was grateful for it. "Well, now that we've taken care of that, let's get back to our previous topic. Tell me, do you think he deserves to be chosen?"

Erza wondered for a moment. She knew that personal feelings had no place in this moment. "No." she replied after a short while. "He may be strong enough, but he lacks most of the requirements necessary to be a successful S-Class Mage."

Makarov chuckled. "I agree."

Erza blinked in confusion. "Then why-"

"Because we have no time to spare." he revealed, cutting her off.

The knight frowned. "Excuse me?"

"I'm most certain it will make more sense once I explain everything properly." said Makarov, before adjusting himself in his seat. "The deal I made with the Council was simple. They release him as a sign of gratitude for saving the entire continent, give him to us, push all of the responsibility along with a strict set of rules and suggestions onto us, with a timelimit of 5 years to make him a normal member of society. That is the official version I've been told. Reality couldn't more any more false."

Erza's hands clenched on their own. "Have they decided to break this agreement?" she asked with concern.

"Not yet." replied shortly Makarov. "They do have plans on how to bypass it, though."

"Has the Council been infiltrated again?"

Makarov couldn't help but laugh at how naive she was. "No, my dear. They're always been this way, even before all of that."

"Then what is the reason of their eagerness?" she asked.

"The deal was sealed during the last hours of Gran Doma's reign as the Chairman. He's always been a strict man, but he could tell right from wrong. He held the whole Council in his grasp, and he always had the last word. Now, the position of Chairman had been put in Sage Org's hands. He's a kind man, who holds our guild in unusual for a Councilor favor. However, when put under enough pressure, he bends. During the last meeting earlier this week, the Elders were once again discussing whether Natsu should be taken away from us or not. Ultimately the voting was in our favor, but it's only a matter of time before we lose. They appear to be desperate to get their hands on him, for reasons I am oblivious of."

"Could it be because of how much more effective he was during the incident with Seven Commandments?" wondered Erza.

Makarov seemed to think this question through. He raised his hand and grabbed his chin with his fingers. "Possibly." he nodded. "According to Jura, he'd filled almost half of the Council's prisons during the past seven years. To match these results, they'd need at least a decade. It is possible they are worried about their image and want to eliminate him to save what little of that image remains. They may also be scared of him, what he's capable of. Their trust in us has always been rather thin, it is possible they deem us unfit to control someone of his caliber."

"How can they do that?" asked distressed Erza. "This is despicable. How are we supposed to trust in them, when they are constantly throwing logs under our feet?"

"Truth to be told, I made the deal with Gran Doma, not the entire Council." said grimly Makarov. "You asked me why I nominated him for the exam. If he passes and becomes an S-Class mage, he will obtain more than just a rank inside the guild. He will also obtain a status inside of the Council. This rank is unique, not many people have it. One of the reasons you were not thrown into jail all those years ago was because of your status."

Erza frowned. Master's plan was to essentially force Natsu into a higher level of power and authority, in order to protect him from the very people he once saved. Could it possibly sound more ridiculous?

"What if he fails?" she asked after a while. "If, as you just said, passing the exam is his only chance at staying here, what if he fails? Will he be immediately shipped to prison?"

"I have thought of that." replied the elder before sipping his tea. "His chances at passing are high, however, even if he doesn't, he will gain something just as valuable. Whether he accepts it, is up to him."

Erza's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

The elder grinned. "Oh, you are not going to like that."

* * *

 **Later this evening**

Lucy strolled through the snowy streets. Or rather pushed her way through, with the snow so thick and high that for each step forward she had to take two backwards.

"I really don't understand why they don't just hire someone to melt this snow." she huffed to herself. "I bet Natsu could melt this in a second."

As she continued on her way, she heard a weird sound to her right. Looking at the source of the sound curiously, she couldn't help but squint her eyes, unsure if they were playing tricks on her.

"Are you okay?" she asked while blinking repeatedly. "Mentally-wise, I mean?"

She was currently staring at waving Cana, completely rid of any sort of clothing suitable for current weather. She was still in her bikini top, her exposed skin red and shivering.

"Yo, Lucy!" grinned the brunette. "What a coincidence! I was just about to visit you!"

"I find that hard to believe." sighed the blonde and slowly took off her jacket. She threw it over Cana and grabbed her hands with her mittens, trying to warm her up. "Couldn't we talk at the guild?"

All of a sudden, Cana sulked. She lowered her head, hair covering her face. "Doing that is the last thing I want right now. Can we talk in private? Please?"

Lucy stopped working her hands. She'd never heard Cana feel this down before.

"Of course." she replied. "My place is just one corner away anyway. Let's get there and we'll talk."

Couple minutes later, the ladies found themselves in Lucy's apartment. After forcefully wrapping Cana in several blankets, Lucy took off her winter clothes and made some tea.

"Thanks, Lucy." laughed Cana after taking her cup from the blonde. "You're a lifesaver!"

"There's nothing to laugh about." pouted Lucy. "You could have fallen asleep back there."

"Yeah, good thing you were passing by."

Lucy sighed and drank from her cup. "So" she started "what's going on? You've been acting weird as of late."

The brunette looked at her. "You can tell?"

"Well, duh. You've been acting weird for the past few days. Is it because of the exams?"

Cana lowered her head. "Four times."

"I'm sorry?"

"I've taken the exam four times by now. This will be my fifth attempt. This alone tells you how much of a disappointment I am."

Lucy sighed through her nose. "No, you are not. Who cares how many times you fail?"

"I'm the only one who had been chosen in all of the exams and failed them all, one by one." said Cana. "I was literally a stepping stone to every single S-Class our guild has or had. This is why I've decided, that this will be my final attempt. If I fail, if I can't become S-Class, I'll leave the guild. And that, I most likely will."

"How can you be so sure?" asked her Lucy, her voice strained.

Cana laughed sarcastically. "Be honest with me, Lucy. Gray? Elfman? Freed? I have no chance of beating those guys. Not to mention that this monster from your team is taking a part. I might as well pack my things and leave the town."

Lucy clenched her teeth. "Stop saying nonsense!" she yelled all of a sudden, which scared Cana. "Leave the guild? You're really going to leave us just because you didn't make it to the higher level? Why are you so obsessed with becoming one anyway?"

"Because I have to!" Cana yelled back. "Passing that exam is the minimal requirement I need to reach my goal. Without it, I have no right to meet that person!"

"That person?" frowned Lucy. "Who are you talking about?"

Cana appeared to hesitate to respond. She bit her lip and hugged herself tighter.

"The truth is...I am Gildarts' daughter."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "What? Does-"

"He doesn't know." answered Cana before Lucy could ask the question. "He left me and my mom when I was a baby. I joined Fairy Tail only because I heard he was a mage there, turned out it was true. Can you imagine how hard it was, trying to tell him I'm his daughter, when he was so special, while I was a nobody?"

Lucy listened to the brunette in silence. She wanted her to let it all out.

"That's why I decided I'd tell him after becoming S-Class. And I failed. Then again. And again. And once again. That's why this will be my final attempt. If I don't pass this time, I'll leave the guild. I have no right to tell him I'm his daughter."

"No. You won't."

Cana lifted her head, her eyes wide. Lucy was drilling a hole in her soul with her eyes, determination setting her irises aflame. "You won't leave the guild. Because I will become your partner, and make you an S-Class."

"But...why?" asked her Cana. "We don't have a chance at winning, you should know that."

Lucy crawled on her knees towards Cana and placed her hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to leave." she said softly. "And I don't want you to lose contact with your father. Like I did."

Cana's eyes became wider. Lucy gave her a smirk she learned from Mira. "What do you think their faces will look like when we become S-Class before them?"

* * *

Wendy looked around the guildhall, with people leaving for the night. Seeing that she had nothing else to do, she looked down at Carla, who was sleeping on her lap.

"Let's go home, Carla." she smiled at the Exceed.

Carla looked up with sleepy eyes and wiped her face. "I must have fallen asleep. What time is it?"

"Everyone's already leaving."

Carla looked around the guild, empty tables taking most of its space. "Yes, I guess we should head home."

"Wendy." called out a male voice from behind..

The girl turned around and was met with the sight of Mest. He appeared to have been waiting for a chance to speak to her.

"Uh, hello." gently bowed Wendy. "Mister..."

"Mest. Mest Gryder." smiled the man. "I'd like to talk to you, if possible."

Wendy blinked, surprised. "With me? What about?"

Mest walked over the table. "May I?" he asked, gesturing at the chair.

"Yes, please, go ahead."

The man sat down and put his hands on the table. "I take it you are familiar with the exams?"

As if by instinct, Carla woke up completely and straightened herself up. "Absolutely not. She's too young to take a part in this."

Mest blinked in confusion. "You haven't even heard my proposition." he then faced Wendy. "Wendy, would you like to become my partner?"

"Me?" she asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because there is a certain thing we can both relate to." smiled Mest. "We were both saved by Mystogan."

Wendy's eyes grew wide. "You mean Jellal?"

Mest laughed. "I called him by his other name, but yes. I was his disciple. Since he's not in this world anymore, I'd like to carry out his will, and become S-Class in his stead. I'd like you to become my partner, and help me achieve this dream."

"Partner, huh." wondered Wendy quietly. "I don't think..."

"Stop it right there." interrupted them Carla. "I have no idea who you're referring to, but I will not allow Wendy to take a part in this exam. She is too young."

"People her age, or even younger, took a part in these exams in the past." replied calmly Mest. "I assure you, nothing bad will happen to her."

"First of all, we don't even know you." said Carla. "You claim to be a friend of the man who helped Wendy, but do you have any proof of that?"

"I do not." admitted Mest. "But I can assure you, my intentions are pure. I would never hurt her."

"I don't buy it." continued Carla. "I won't-"

"Carla, enough." said sharply Wendy.

The tabby looked at her friend, her eyes wide. "Wendy?"

"I appreciate your concern, but I can deal with this on my own." smiled the girl. She then shifted her eyes onto Mest. "I appreciate your offer, Mest, but I have already decided on who I want to partner with. I wish all well in the exam, and I hope I didn't cause you any inconvenience." she said with a gentle bow.

Mest stared at her, his mouth agape, before cracking a small smile. "Don't worry about it. I should have asked first. I wish you well and I hope we do not meet in the exam. Goodnight."

With that said, he gave a bow of his own and left Wendy alone.

Carla looked at the girl and asked "You want to team up with someone? Who?"

The Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. She crossed the guild and stopped just behind Natsu's messy pink head.

"Natsu." she called out to him.

Natsu slowly turned around, surprised by who'd just walked up to him. "Yeah? What's up?"

Carla started to sweat. "Wendy, you don't..."

"Please, allow me to be your partner in the exam!" exclaimed Wendy, her face slowly becoming red.

Natsu blinked. Then one more time. Then another. "Why?" he asked her after a while.

Wendy raised her head and gave him a determined look. "There are many things I'd like to talk to you about, as well as many things I'd like you to teach me. Partnering up would benefit both of us."

"Wendy!" hissed Carla.

"I'm sorry, Carla." whispered the girl. "But I feel I have to do this."

Natsu continued to stare at the girl, still not able to find an ounce of reasoning in her request. He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don't really care. Are you sure, though? Aren't you scared of me?"

"I was, at first. But not anymore."

Natsu groaned. Not only was he forced to participate, he was also forced to drag a poor soul around with him for the duration of the damn thing, including the upcoming week. He didn't have anything against the girl, but being alone was a much better option.

 _This is a great opportunity to make you get close to someone else than me._

Erza's voice echoed in his mind like a bell. He didn't have to see, or hear her, to know this would be the exact phrase she'd tell him if she were here right now.

Repeating said sentence in a mocking voice that was supposed to resemble Erza's under his nose, he turned around to fully face the girl. "Fine." he breathed out. He extended his right hand towards her and smirked. "Take care of me, partner."

Wendy beamed and grabbed his hand with her own. "Likewise."

Carla sighed and massaged her temples. "I'm gonna have a headache."

* * *

 **Night of December 22nd, somewhere in the sky**

A tall woman with long, black hair looked out the window, a ghost of a smile creeping on her face. Although she'd find it hard to admit, she rather enjoyed looking at the clouds beneath her, with the moon casting its light on the earth below.

"Ultear." called a deep, male voice behind her.

The woman took one last look at the moon and turned around, before gently bowing. "Yes, Master?"

"How are the preparations going?" he asked.

"Faster than expected." replied Ultear. "Despite all the trouble caused to us a month ago, we should be ready to act in a week's time."

"Oh? That is indeed fast." said her Master, impressed. "You've done a great job." he praised her.

"Not as good as you'd expect of me. The loss of Jellal, as well as his failure, have both acted against us."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." said the man, before lifting his glass. He sipped his wine and held the glass in front of him, gently rolling the liquid inside. "After giving it some thought, I came to a conclusion, that Silva's demise brought us more good, than harm. We may have lost our opportunity at creating a key necessary to awaken Zeref, but that kid was a formidable enemy. His defeat has made the path towards our goal easier."

"But, Master, won't that cause complications?" asked concerned Ultear.

"We have enough keys to fully awaken Zeref. I was hoping we could use Silva's obsession with resurrecting Zeref to our advantage, but his failure serves as a reasonable recompensation."

"That reminds me." said Ultear. "Our numbers have grown during recent weeks. The remains of Seven Commandments' subordinates have decided to join us. Should we dispose of them?"

"No." ordered the Master. "They may be of some use."

Ultear bowed. "As you wish."

"As for that pawn of yours." wondered the man. "Will there be any use of him?"

"No." replied shortly the woman. "He's being kept deep underground, in a secure prison. His usefulness has come to an end."

"That's unfortunate." sighed the Master. "He would become an important asset in our upcoming war. I've always been a fan of how well you manipulated him."

"Your words honor me." bowed Ultear with a smile. "I believe you will be happy to learn of the information I have happened to come across. I have been saving it for the last."

"This habit, on the other hand, I am not fond of." the elder shook his head. "What is it?"

Ultear grinned wickedly. "We have obtained _his_ current location. As you suspected, he was indeed in a slumber. We shall reach him in a week's time, as soon as we finish our preparations."

The man's eye glimpsed in the darkness. "The time has come. Soon, we shall meet the source of all magic. Speed up the process, we have no time to waste."

The woman closed her eyes and bowed down with a smile. "As you wish, Master Hades."

* * *

Erza walked down the stairs after exiting Makarov's office. They talked for way too long. Rubbing her tired eyes, she walked down the last step and walked in-between messy tables.

"Yo!" she heard someone call to her.

She let go of her eyes, only to be met with the sight of Natsu sitting by himself couple tables away. In fact, him, Erza and Lisanna, who was currently cleaning behind the counter, were the only people in the hall.

"Hey." she smiled at him and sat beside his seat. "What are you doing here this late?"

He arched an eyebrow. "I live here."

Cursing her memory, Erza sighed and tried to cover it. "Why don't you get a place of your own? You should have enough money."

"I would, if I knew how to do it."

Sighing in her mind, Erza added yet another addition to her list of things she had to teach him.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, noticing her tired state.

The knight hesitated with her answer. Truthfully, no, she wasn't. Everything that had happened this day was simply too much.

"I'm fine." she said with a tired smile.

Natsu stared into her eyes for a moment. "Okay then." he said, not buying it. Still, he's known her long enough to know when to not push her."That reminds me" he said and reached out to his back pocket. He pulled out a sheet of paper and straightened it on the table. "I wanted to ask you about this. I think I got it right, but I'd rather be sure. This job is about protecting a carriage, right?"

Erza blinked. Since when was he so eager to ask her for reading advice? Shaking her head, she looked down and took in the contains of the requests.

"Yes, yes it is." she confirmed. "You want to go on this job?"

"Yeah, I was thinking if we could go on this job and take Wendy with us, just the three of us." said Natsu.

Erza's eyes widened in surprise. "Wendy? Why her?"

"She asked to become my partner for the exam. I figured I might as well take her with us."

She didn't know what to say. Inside, she was happy he made a step forward on his own, on the other, after learning what was to come in a week, her joy was overshadowed. Still, she couldn't let him know about that.

"Why don't you go alone, just the two of you?" she asked him after a while. "You don't have to go everywhere with me, I'm not your babysitter. I trust you to carry a mission out on your own."

Natsu raised his hand and scratched the back of his head. "I know, but it's...it just wouldn't be the same without you, you know? I know it sounds weird."

Erza was lost for words. Did he even realise what he just implied? With Makarov's words echoing in her mind, she looked away from him, her cheeks getting slightly warmer.

"I-I guess I can accompany you. I have no tasks to carry out tomorrow."

Natsu grinned and slapped her back, making her jolt straight up in her seat. "Thanks! You're the best!"

Erza sunk in her seat, her face becoming even more red. What the hell was wrong with her?

From afar, Lisanna watched the scene in wild amusement. It was at times like this she showed that she was, in fact, related to Mirajane. Demon's blood flowed in her veins..

 **End of Chapter 18. To be continued in Chapter 19: Fear.**

* * *

 **Slow, but I wanted to take care of everything happening before Tenrou in one chapter. We're entering brand new dimension in the next chapter, so prepare your seatbelts.**

 **I have tried to slightly improve character interactions, as well as give some characters more...character? I want to work on Juvia, and I already have a decent idea of where to go with her.**

 **That's all for now. I hope you had great holidays and the end of 2017 will be just as great! See you soon!**


	20. Fear

**Surprise!**

 **Happy New Year! I was planning on releasing this chapter on Dec 31st, but I am late by over an hour. Oh well.~, at least it's 31.12 in USA.**

 **First of all, I'd like to thank you all for all of the support you've given me this year. 515 favs, 632 follows, 300 reviews, 80,000 views and 20 individual uploads - those are the numbers we made this year. I simply can't thank you enough for tagging along on this journey.**

 **Let us hope 2018 will be even more successful, and this story will get even better! I'll make sure to give it my all!**

 **Now that all that feelsy stuff is out of the way, welcome to Chapter 19. It focuses mainly on Natsu vs Gildarts, and I gave it my own original twist and changed it accordingly to the way my Natsu is. I think I did a good job at portraying what characters were feeling, but if you have any problems with that, let me know in PM's or reviews.**

 **I hope you have a wonderful New Years Eve and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

 **December 29th, Fairy Tail's ship**

The past week went by fast, maybe even too fast according to some people. All of the participants spent their week training, planning and getting closer to their partners.

They were all currently sailing towards Tenrou Island on their private ship, their moods foul, to say the least. Their ship was reserved only for the participants and Makarov – S-Class Mages and couple onlookers went on ahead to prepare the island for the exam.

"Why is it so god damn hot?" whined Lucy for the tenth time since they left Hargeon. She was currently sprawled on a sunbed, several of her shirt's buttons undone. She wasn't the only one, almost everyone else was also dying from the heat.

Levy, who was currently sitting at the table, her torso on its top, raised her head lazily. "Lucy, you're showing off too much."

Too tired to care, Lucy looked over to the side, where Gray was. He was one of the three people who were perfectly fine with the heat. With an idea popping into her head, she got up from her seat and walked up to her teammate, before taking his hand and placing it on her forehead.

Gray blinked. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Magic. Use. Now." she mumbled. To no avail.

"I'm not a freezer."

"Please?" she added, her voice on the verge of begging.

Sighing in annoyance, Gray released a bit of his magic, icy mist forming in his hand. Lucy groaned in relief.

"Thanks." she said with a grin.

"Enjoy it while you can, couple more minutes and you can forget about me helping you." he said. "Though I have to admit, it really is pretty damn hot. Are we sure Natsu is not the one heating the air to get a better chance at getting the rank?" he added with a smirk.

Natsu, who was sitting couple meters away with Wendy looked at the Maker, his brow raised. "Why the hell would I do that?"

Gray sweatdropped. "I was joking, man."

Elfman, who was now sitting shirtless by other table looked at the Slayer suspiciously. "You might be onto something, Gray." he grumbled.

Elfman had to avert his eyes to avoid daggers sent by Natsu's eyes.

"No, it's not him." explained Cana. "The currents around this area keep clashing with each other, so it's not affected by other types of weather or climate. It's summer here all year long."

Lucy hummed under her nose. She then looked at the previous culprit and blinked. "Aren't you hot in all that?" she asked Natsu.

The Slayer blinked and looked down. He was still wearing his black boots, jacket and dark brown pants, with his scarf wrapped around his neck.

"No." he said truthfully. "Should I?"

"Expecting someone who eats fire to feel hot is pretty stupid." remarked Evergreen from beside Elfman.

Lucy's brow twitched.

"The better question is" said Gray, diverting his eyes onto Natsu "why are you not sick? You feel bad on trains, surely ships must be no different."

"She used a spell on me." he said and pointed at Wendy with his thumb. "Topia."

"Troia." corrected him Wendy with a smile. "Do you want me to use it on you as well?" she asked, directing the question to Gajeel.

The man looked at her with surprised eyes, blindsided by the question. "No." he replied after a short while. "I can handle it."

Wendy blinked. "I see."

Lisanna's eyes widened, as she leaned in towards Juvia's ear, her hand covering her mouth. "Did you know he gets sick when he's in vehicles?"

"Of course. You didn't?"

The younger Strauss sister shook her head.

"Wait." threw in Gray. "Does that mean Laxus gets sick as well?"

Evergreen laughed quietly. "Of course he does. Why do you think he never wants to travel with anyone outside of us three?"

"Ever!" roared Freed. "How could you reveal Laxus' weakness so carelessly?! We are about to battle him!"

"How exactly are we going to use it against him? Conjure a train and throw him in there?" asked Elfman, his eyebrow arched.

"Exactly. Besides, it's not that much of a secret anymore."

"I could do that." murmured Gray, imagining himself trapping Laxus in an ice train.

Juvia caught Lisanna looking at her brother and his partner. "Is something wrong?"

Lisanna twitched, out of her trance, and looked at the rain woman. "No. I'm just surprised they actually partnered up, I said it as a joke."

"Well, they are definitely not the weirdest duo on this ship." pointed out Loke.

Almost like on command, everyone looked at Natsu and Wendy, who were currently talking to each other. Natsu stopped midsentence and looked at their faces one after another, his frown deepening with each shift of his gaze. "What?"

"Nothing. We're just surprised to see you partnered up with someone. We expected you to take this exam on your own." said Lucy.

"I was going to, but she wanted to team up with me. So I took her up on that."

"You must be slowly regretting it, aren't you?" teased her Cana.

Wendy shook her head with a smile. "Not at all! I've greatly enjoyed the past week!"

Noting in their minds that Natsu must have had a hidden, more pleasant side to himself they've yet to discover, everyone got back to their previous activities, or lack there of.

Gajeel, who continued to stare into the horizon, squinted his eyes and straightened himself in his seat. "Is that the island?"

Everyone looked at him, before turning around. Their eyes widened.

In front of them was a lone, giant island with lots of greenery and unusual shape. Right in the middle of the island was a giant tree, its crown flat, almost shaped like an island. One could easily mistake it for two islands placed on top of each other. The tree was thick, very deep brown in color, its roots spread out all over the ground, some of them going into the ocean. It was also emitting warm, powerful magic that appeared to soothe one's troubles.

"Beautiful..." gasped Lucy.

"It is said, that Fairies used to live on this island." said a voice from behind.

Clad in his Hawaiian shirt, Makarov walked out of the cabin and gazed at the island, a warm feeling reflecting in his old eyes. "It is also the place of rest of Fairy Tail's First Master, Mavis Vermillion."

"The hell's up with that outfit, old man?" asked Gray.

"What am I supposed to do? It's hot." sighed the elder. "Well, now that the island is in sight, allow me to explain the first stage of the exam."

Suddenly, heat was not a problem. Everyone's attention was focused on Makarov, who closed his fan and cut the air with it. A magical table was formed to his right, with drawings forming with each second.

"First exam?" asked surprised Wendy.

"It's always divided into stages." explained Mest from behind her. Unlike other candidates, he remained without a partner, his attempt to recruit Wendy being the only time he asked someone to do so.

"As you can see, there is smoke rising up from that beach." continued Makarov and pointed at the place at hand. "That is where you're headed. Upon arriving, you will find nine paths. Only one group can enter each path. This is what awaits you upon entering."

As soon as he finished, the magic table has been completed.

9 paths have been formed. 4 of them were decorated with faces of Erza, Mirajane, Laxus and Gildarts, with _HARD BATTLE_ written above. 4 other paths met each other in pairs at one point called _BATTLE,_ while the last, ninth path was called _QUIET._

"Hard battle?" asked Wendy.

"That's where the monsters are." explained Bickslow.

"So Battle must be us fight each other." deducted Levy.

"What does Quiet mean?"

"Battle means two teams will meet each other and fight. The winning pair will continue to Second Stage." said Makarov. "Hard Battle is the most difficult one. In order to pass, you must best an S-Class Mage in combat. Quiet is the only path where you can pass without fighting anyone."

"Master, may I ask why there are nine paths, when there are eight teams?" asked Freed.

"I was about to get to that." nodded Makarov. "There will be two additional rules applied to the First Stage. First, Natsu and Wendy's path has already been decided. They cannot pass through any other path. It's been marked accordingly, so you can't miss it."

The guild looked at the elder with surprise.

"So this must be this special term he talked about last week." said Cana.

"Second, due to the uneven number of paths, one of them will not be taken. In other words, whatever lies ahead will be nullified. One S-Class may not get to taste battle, Quiet route may be untouched, or one team will not be forced to battle yet another team."

"So, best case scenario, 6 teams will pass onto the Second Stage." pointed out Evergreen.

"No way this many of us will get further." said Elfman with a sigh.

"Worst case scenario, three teams get further." added Levy, her enthusiasm gone. Gajeel, on the other hand, was beyond excited.

"That's exactly right." said Makarov and opened his fan once again. "In this test, your luck and power will be put to test!"

"Luck, huh?" sighed Cana.

"If we're lucky enough, we will hit one of the non-battle related paths!" Lucy tried to comfort her.

"Our chances of that happening are low, though."

"Even if we have to fight, we'll pull through! I promised you, didn't I?"

The brunette couldn't help but smile at her friend's eagerness.

"Well then, now that we've talked things through!" roared Makarov. "Let the exam begin!"

Gray blinked. "Huh?"

"We're still on the ocean though." added Loke, also confused.

Their only response was Makarov's grin.

Suddenly, flapping of wings could be heard on the ship, as Freed and Bickslow took off the ship, both of them flying towards the island.

"So that's how it is." huffed Gray and ran towards the board. Only to hit something invisible. "The hell?!"

"Sorry!" yelled Freed. "I'd rather be the first one to choose a path. They will disappear after 5 minutes!"

Gritting his teeth, Gray started to look for another way of getting out. On the other side of the ship, Evergreen chuckled to herself and pulled out a pen.

"What are you laughing about?" asked her Elfman.

"I've known Freed for long enough to learn a thing or two." she said while doing something with the runes. "Something of this caliber...I can bypass with my eyes closed!" she exclaimed and created a hole in the runes. "Let's go, Elfman!" she said before jumping into the water, with grinning Elfman behind her.

"The hell geezer, they're going to cover the island in runes!" yelled Gray.

"It's not like this is a race, you know..." sweatdropped the elder.

"Yes! I can rewrite it!" exclaimed happy Levy.

"Levy..." started glad Lucy

"But only for me and Gajeel!" added the bookworm, before jumping into the water with Gajeel, the gap closing behind her.

Lucy did not say anything.

"Why are you so calm?!" yelled Gray at Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer looked at his teammate funny. "My path has already been decided. Does it matter when I get there?"

Feeling stupid and frustrated, Gray sat down on his chair, waiting for the time to pass.

Four minutes later, the runes have disappeared. With everyone expressing their happiness, Gray walked up to the board and put his hand on it, only to be interrupted by a scared yelp behind him.

He turned around to the sight of Natsu throwing Wendy onto his back. She desperately clutched herself to his back, her hands and legs wrapped around his torso.

"Hold on." he said, before jumping into the water. However, instead of falling in, he lit his feet and hands aflame, turning his limbs into thrusters. Like some sort of a living jetpack, Natsu flew towards the island, with screaming Wendy still glued to his back.

Gray shook shock out of his face and jumped into the ocean, with Loke behind him

 _ **ICE MAKE: FLOOR!**_

In one quick move, Gray turned water beneath his feet into a footing, as he and Loke slid their way towards the island.

"Are you kidding me?" deadpanned Lucy at the sight of the males in the distance. Then, she felt something brush her leg, as Juvia and Lisanna swam towards their destination underwater, with Lisanna turned into a fish.

"Don't tell me we're the last ones..." started Lucy.

"Mest should still be on the ship." reassured her Cana, only to be grimly mistaken, as the man was already nowhere to be seen. "Damn it!" yelled the woman and started to swim, with Lucy doing the same right beside her.

* * *

Natsu and Wendy arrived at the shore. The older Dragon Slayer gently put her on the ground, which she accepted with gratitude. Wendy looked around the area, taking in the beautiful view.

"I can sense great magic power coming from the island." she noted.

"Yeah." he said. "Let's go."

The pair ran towards the beach, the pillar of smoke growing with each step. After a minute they reached the marked place. Four paths were closed off already, but it didn't matter to him. His path was right in the middle, marked with giant, flaming N above the entrance.

"Well then. Let's go in." said Natsu and started to march into the dark cave, his partner right behind him.

It wasn't late before he had to set his hand on fire to light the place up. He walked in front, his hand raised high in the air like a torch. They marched in silence, before Wendy spoke out first.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Natsu turned around, slightly surprised. "What's up?"

Wendy breathed in, both the air and confidence. "What was Igneel like?"

For a while, there was no answer. They just continued to walk in silence, silence that started to make Wendy anxious. She was slowly regretting asking this question, before he finally broke the silence.

"Strict. He was strict. But he wasn't cruel, or cunning, even though there were times I was sure bastard was torturing me on purpose. He expected a lot from me, and he wanted what was best in my interest. Whether he did it all out of love or something else, I don't know. But he was kind. He was my only family in this world. He was my father, and I'm thankful he took me in. I just wish I could say it to him properly."

Wendy lowered her head. She felt exactly the same about Grandeeney.

"That's why when I'll find him, I will punch his lights out first, and then get sentimental." added Natsu with a small smirk. "What about you?"

She looked at him in awe. He said it like it was obvious, like it was bound to happen. She felt like she'd lost hope many times, but truthfully, it was always inside her. And it just received a boost.

"Same." she said with a smile. "But I think I will refrain myself from hitting."

Natsu snorted in amusement.

After taking yet another corner, they were met with the sight of a giant room placed at the end of the route, with a figure standing in the middle of it.

Already suspecting who it was due to their enhanced smell, Natsu and Wendy walked into the cave, their suspicions answered.

"Hello there." said smirking Gildarts. "Looks like you've finally reached the end of your journey."

Wendy took a step back, shocked. Why were they put up against the most powerful mage in the guild?

"I think we both know why I'm the one you have to face." said Gildarts. "Any other route and you could pretty much name yourself S-Class at the spot."

Natsu took a step forward. Wendy looked at him, intimidated. She trusted her partner, but she knew this battle would not be easy. Although the more she looked at him, the less she was scared of Gildarts, her fear jumping onto Natsu.

His face became unrecognizable. It was now focused, his pupils small and sharp, staring at his target as he walked further into the cave. This sudden change in behavior was not natural. It was trained, almost as if he changed places with someone else.

"So, I have to beat you to get further?" asked the Dragon Slayer.

"That's the main requirement. Though you have to meet many others as well. I won't let you pass without them." answered the older man with a smirk.

Natsu stopped just a few meters away from his opponent.

The pressure was ing. Air became heavy from all the magic power gathered in the area. Wendy felt so out of place, it would be hilarious under any other circumstances. She could simply watch as her teammate stretched his arms, his eyes still locked on Gildarts.

"Guild's number two versus number one..." she muttered to herself, a slight bit of excitement building up inside of her chest.

"Let's get this over with." Natsu cracked his knuckles and neck, before gently bending his knees.

"Ready when you are." said Gildarts without moving from his spot.

Not having to be told twice, Natsu kicked the ground and dashed at the man.

" _Rushing in a straight line? How green."_ Gildarts shook his head in his mind.

Before he could crash into the older man, Natsu set his right leg aflame, and stomped the ground, a giant piece of debris jumping in front of him. He lit up his other leg and kicked the rock, sending it flying in Gildarts' direction.

"Seriously?" asked the man in disbelief, before swatting his left arm to the side, the rock in front of him shattering into hundreds of pieces, only to find out Natsu was no longer in front of him.

He emerged from behind Gildarts and threw a right highkick at the man's head, who raised his right arm to block it. Flames spat out of Natsu's foot, his attack nullified. Before he could react, Gildarts took a hold of his ankle and threw him over his head, crashing him into the ground just with his right arm. Natsu grunted upon impact and tried to set himself free, only to be lifted off again and smashed into the ground once again, this time on the other side. Gildarts lifted the Dragon Slayer once again and began to spin his arm around with Natsu still in his grasp. Sick of being tossed around, Natsu set his right leg on fire and forced it out of the man's grip before he could build enough momentum. Still in the air, Natsu flexed his left leg and kicked surprised Gildarts under the chin, making his head jump upwards. Gildarts let out a quiet grunt and retaliated by punching immobile Natsu in the stomach.

The Dragon Slayer flew backwards and turned in the air, his body upside down, with his head just a few feet above the ground.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Natsu puffed out his cheeks and released a tornado of fire at his opponent. Gildarts blinked in slight surprise, before smiling to himself.

"This is gonna be amusing." he muttered, before cutting the roar in half with his left hand. Much to his shock, what he found inside the flames was Natsu, his right, set aflame hand retracted behind his back.

" _He's fast._ " noted Gildarts, before raising his arm to block Natsu's punch.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!**_

The strike landed on Gildarts' forearm, slightly pushing him back. Before he could react, Natsu threw yet another punch, followed by third and fourth, which then turned into a full out barrage.

 _ **DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS: CRIMSON LOTUS, FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!**_

Natsu continued his onslaught, effectively pushing Gildarts back bit by bit. Sick and tired of being punched around, the man awaited his moment, before swiftly ducking under a flaming punch and planting his own fist deep into Natsu's stomach.

The Dragon Slayer gasped in pain, his barrage stopped. Feeling good about the strike, Gildarts was about to continue, before being forced to lean his head backwards in order to avoid a kick aimed under his chin.

With his leg still extended in the air, Natsu leaned forward until it landed on Gildarts' left shoulder. He quickly jumped with his left leg and used his right to wrap it over the man's shoulder, before getting on top of him, his legs locked on the man's back. He then raised both of his hands above his head, setting them aflame.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S…**_

It was a moment. Gildarts quickly broke Natsu's locked legs and grabbed him by the calf, before smashing him into the ground. He then tried to throw him away, only to feel resistance. After looking down, he noticed that Natsu dug his nails deep into the ground, locking himself in place. He then bent his right leg and successfully kicked the man in the face. Losing his patience, Gildarts let go of Natsu's leg and kicked him in the stomach, making him fly. The Dragon Slayer turned over in the air and landed on all fours, before sliding on the ground.

Gildarts released a sigh and massaged his sore chin. "You really do pack a punch, don't you?" he asked him, genuinely impressed.

Natsu stood up, his hands massaging his aching stomach. "You too."

"Don't hold it against me. I have been instructed to not go easy on you, no matter what. Turns out I was right to do so." said the older man. "So you better start treating this seriously. This is no longer an exam. Think of this as a life and death situation. Playtime's over."

Natsu spat out a little blood to the side, and resumed his position. "Sure."

Playtime?

Wendy had trouble believing what she'd just witnessed. It all happened so fast it felt like seconds. The lack of hesitance in their moves, their precision, their technique. And it was all just a warm up?

"Don't make that face, Wendy."

Natsu's voice woke her out of her trance. Although he wasn't looking at her, he knew what was going on with her. "We'll get through. Just leave it all to me."

Without a warning. Natsu took off in yet another charge. However, this time, he zig zagged his way towards his opponent. Gildarts followed him, his eyes jumping from side to side. He squeezed his fist and punched the ground beneath, breaking it into multiple chunks of debris. Natsu jumped in the air to avoid impact and jumped from rock to rock, before setting his feet on the biggest one. He kicked it as hard as he could and launched himself at Gildarts like a meteor, his fist set ablaze.

Natsu's fist struck Gildarts, who raised his own arm above his head and effortlessly caught the blow, much to Natsu's shock.

"I _did_ say playtime's over.". he replied to his shock and pulled him towards his own figure, before attempting to strike him once again. Natsu managed to use the arm Gildarts has been holding him with to jump out of the way of incoming punch. Gildarts struck thin air, with Natsu already flying above his head. The Dragon Slayer turned in the air and threw a kick at the man's head, who ducked under it and retaliated with a left hook. Natsu raised his right leg and blocked the strike with his knee, only to be thrown backwards. He landed several feet away, with Gildarts already chasing after him.

Natsu planted his hands into the ground, which soon began to shake.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!_**

A giant tower of flames erupted from beneath Gildarts, who flexed his muscles and shattered it into tiny bits of fire. Natsu answered by throwing another barrage of punches at the man, who successfully blocked all of the strikes. Gildarts sidestepped outside of Natsu's range and stepped in, kicking him in the back. Natsu flew foreward, before planting his hand on the ground and pushing it, launching himself in the air. He landed few feet away and looked up, only to see nothing.

"What are you looking at?" asked a voice behind him. Natsu quickly turned around just in time to see Gildarts' fist being mere centimeters away from his face. Throwing himsself to the side in despair, he managed to avoid what seemed like a decisive blow. He looked at Gildarts, who followed his moves with his eyes, his left arm bent and readied by his left hip. Suddenly, it twitched.

This little movement of his muscles was the only warning Natsu had received before barely dodging a powerful left straight aimed at his face. Seeing that his opponent was starting to get serious, Natsu decided to drop any boundaries and give him everything he had.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Yet another tornado of flames formed before Gildarts, swallowing him whole. Not noticing anything weird with his flames, Natsu felt good about the attack, only to feel something grab his face.

Gildarts emerged from the flames, with barely any damage on his skin and grabbed a hold of Natsu's face, killing his attack. He squeezed hard and pushed the Slayer, grinding him into the ground.

Instinctively, Natsu wrapped his legs on his arm, attempting to break out. He felt like he was trying to move a mountain, Gildarts' arm not moving even an inch.

"Life and death, remember?" whispered Gildarts, his voice rid of its previous playfulness.

Feeling his face being crusheded, Natsu let out a muffled grunt, breath escaping his lungs. He was losing consciousness, and fast.

 _ **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

A sudden torrent of wind hit both men. It did not inflict any damage, but it distracted Gildarts for long enough to allow Natsu to slid the arm on his face and roll to the side, before jumping away.

The Crush mage stood up and looked at Wendy, who was panting, currents of air still flying in the air around her mouth.

"Young lady" said Gildarts "as brave and honorable as it was, you shouldn't have done that."

Time froze. Wendy suddenly felt much heavier than a second ago. Gildarts started to slowly walk towards her.

"Stop!" yelled Natsu and threw himself at the man, only to be swatted away like a fly. Gildarts hit him with a nasty right backhand and sent him flying into the nearby wall, burying him under debris.

"On the battlefield, it is always the weakest who are targeted first. And this is a battlefield. I told you, if you treat this like an ordinary exam, you will die." continued Gildarts, as he walked towards the girl.

She couldn't breathe. His magic, his voice – they were too much. Asking herself how in the world she could still stand, Wendy simply watched as the man was now only a few feet away from her. He raised his hand and stopped just before her.

"Don't hate me for this."

Suddenly, Gildarts was behind Wendy, as he flew in the air and smashed into the wall right next to the entrance to the cave. Before Wendy stood Natsu, his fangs bared, pupils almost non-existent and his body clad in flames, with small, yellow crackling circling around his right leg.

But that didn't cease Wendy's fear. She was still afraid, only now the source of this feeling had changed.

"Nat...su?" she asked him, the wilderness on his face making her unable to speak properly.

Suddenly, his face relaxed. His animal features disappeared, replaced with a concerned frown.

"You ok?" he asked her.

She wanted to say yes, but that would be a lie. She's yet to truly see this side of him up close, and it was not something she looked forward to.

"Get behind me." he said and gently pushed her behind his figure.

Gildarts slowly stood up and wiped his lightly cut lip. There was blood on his hand, not a lot, but it was still there. However, instead of anger, he was happy. He couldn't help but gently chuckle to himself, as he smeared the blood in-between his fingers and turned around. He could finally proceed with the plan. Everything was set in place.

The seed has been planted,

"What are you laughing about?" asked him annoyed Natsu.

"Although you can't use your lightning, you still managed to generate it just for a second in your legs in order to increase your speed. That way, you did not damage your body and still tapped in into your full power for just a moment. For what you've shown up until now, I'd be more than obliged to make you pass further. But I won't."

Gildarts' face suddenly grew serious. "What you just did was reckless. What if your body couldn't handle what you just did? What if you missed and kicked her? What if you hit me the wrong way and made me crash into her? Did that even cross your mind?"

Natsu's face has also grown serious, his previous traits coming back. "You just tried to kill her. You have no right to speak."

"Is that how you're justifying yourself?" asked Gildarts. " _I did it because they made me do it._ Is that what you've told yourself when you vaporized upper floors of the Tower?"

Natsu's jaw clenched. Seeing that he had him on the ropes, the older man continued.

"Yes, you managed to bring your enemy to the knees. You have also almost killed a person who would then become your teammate. You did save her, but did you really do that out of the concern for her life? Or maybe because you felt guilty and did it to feel better about yourself?"

Natsu clenched his teeth, ready to throw himself at the man. He sure knew which buttons to press.

"This recklessness of yours is the main reason people treat you like an animal. It's because of that Erza cannot help but wince in pain every time she has to carry out her daily tasks, because both of her arms are severely burned."

That did the trick. Natsu stared at Gildarts, dumbfounded, unable to respond. The man simply snorted ironically. "You didn't even know, did you? She didn't have the heart to tell you herself. You did that to her during your recent sparring matches. You can't even see things unless someone points their finger and forces you to see them."

"Are you done?" asked him irritated Natsu.

Seeing that he failed to reach him yet, Gildarts sighed and prepared himself for the upcoming attack.

Natsu once again charged at Gildarts, this time much faster than before. However, unlike previous times, he charged straight ahead, his fist blocked as soon as it was thrown out.

"Predictable." whispered Gildarts and answered with a right uppercut to Natsu's stomach, followed by an elbow into his beck, Natsu crasheded into the ground before his feet, air leaving his lungs.

He quickly stood up and attempted to punch Gildarts one more time, only to be immediately countered. Bouncing off the ground, Natsu managed to get on his feet and slid on it, growling as he did so.

Suddenly, he felt weird light gathering on his arms and legs, before being completely covered in brightness. He looked questionably at Wendy, who stood several meters away, her hands pointing at him.

"Young lady, have you forgotten that you are also my target?" asked softly Gildarts. "Reminding me of your presence is not a smart thing to do."

This time, she wasn't intimidated. "That may be the case, but we are both fighting you, as a team. As you said, I am here to support Natsu, and support him is what I will do. Please, attack me if you see it as necessary, but do not think I will stand down once again."

Gildarts couldn't help but smile. She was clearly afraid, terrified even. However, she was still able to strangle her fears and keep them in check, using them in order to achieve something greater.

Unlike a certain someone.

 _ **ARMS! VERNIER!**_

Natsu looked at his hands, his eyes wide. He suddenly felt so light, yet so powerful. Was this Wendy's magic?

"I have enchanted your magical abilities, Natsu." explained the girl. "Now, g-"

She was interrupted by Gildarts, who tried to attack her once again.

"You said I could do it."

His plans were interrupted, as Natsu crashed into him with his legs, pushing him back a little. Not giving him a moment to rest, he followed through with a barrage of kicks and punches.

Both men engaged each other in a wild exchange of strikes, their limbs becoming blur. Dull sounds of connecting fists and legs echoed throughout the cave, as well as the sound of dust moving beneath their quickly shifting feet.

Although neither was giving in, Natsu could feel he was being overwhelmed. Panic starting to kick in, he unleashed even more of his magic in order to match his opponent's fierceness. To no avail, as it turned out.

Natsu ducked underneath Gildarts' arm and managed to kick him in the stomach, his foot planting itself into his body. However, the man quickly retaliated with a powerful right hook that split Natsu's forehead and blew his head to the side. He then stepped in and followed with a left uppercut, proceeded by another right hook that made Natsu roll on the floor. The Slayer regained his footing and dashed at Gildarts once again, a growl escaping his mouth.

After a short exchange, Gildarts once again came out on top and left Natsu lying on the floor, his hands desperately clutching his stomach.

"Another one of your weaknesses." spoke out the S-Class Mage. "Panic. When things start to get rougher, you begin to panic. Your actions become easier to read and you slowly start to lose control over your own power. You were much stronger at the beginning of our fight. I'm pretty sure this is how you've burned Erza."

 _This is too easy._ thought to himself Gildarts when Natsu threw himself at him once again, Erza's name triggering the reaction.

Couple seconds later, Natsu was once again lying on the ground, Wendy's enchantments wearing off. The girl wanted to help, but she knew she'd be of no use in combat. She simply stood on the sidelines and watched the fight carry out, at the same time thinking of a way to intervene.

"Your magic boosts are gone, your hand-to-hand skills don't work against me. What are you going to do now?" asked Gildarts, his tone curious.

Natsu glared daggers at the older man, before cloaking his body in flames.

"Are we going to compare out magic now?" Gildarts asked while doing circles with his right arm.

Yet another charge. Gildarts effortlessly blocked the strike. Then another. And another. He gave Natsu ten chances before fighting back, his elbow connecting with his right cheek. Natsu's head was blown away, blood escaping his cut lip. He remained in this position for a moment, before quickly snapping his head back to its previous place, a point blank Roar escaping his mouth.

The orange-haired man was once again swallowed by flames. After couple seconds, Natsu ceased his attack, dust and remains of his flames still in the air.

His onyx eyes widened in shock at the sight of unscathed Gildarts standing in front of him, the only damage inflicted on him being the one to his ragged clothes.

"Do you see it now?" he asked. "There is no way for you to defeat me."

Natsu grit his teeth and punched Gildarts in the face, his strike barely making the man move. He answered by putting his open palm on Natsu's chest and pushing him back, creating several meters of distance between them with just his arm alone.

"You can't beat me with magic."

Natsu cried out and threw himself at Gildarts, his magic rising to its absolute limits.

 _ **DRAGON SLAYER'S SECRET ARTS: CRIMSON LOTUS, EXPLODING FLAME BLADE!**_

Gildarts allowed himself to be swallowed by flames yet again, however this time, he put his guard up. A giant explosion of flames erupted in the cave, swallowing the majority of its interiors. Wendy was forced to jump behind a giant piece of debris, the heat of the rock causing her to sweat immediately.

After what felt like a minute, it calmed down. Wendy peeked out from her hiding spot, her eyes squinted from all the dust and ash in the air. She searched the area for a bit, before her eyes finally laid on the scene.

Naysu was currently pressed against the ground, his face smelling the soil, with Gildarts standing on top of him, his right leg pressing his bent right arm into his lower back, effectively subduing him.

Gildarts had small burns all over his body, however his wounds were not serious. His clothes were in worse shape, his bandaged torso and fake limbs open for everyone to see.

"The third, final stage of your weakness. Fear." said Gildarts. "You let it control you. When things don't go the way you want them to, fear starts to take control of your body. You might gain a tremendous amount of power, but you lose something far more valuable in return. Your humanity."

Natsu growled and stared at his opponent with pure hatred in his eyes. However, it wasn't vicious. It was momentary, shortlived. And scared."

"I will give you one final chance. Give up. You can't win this." said Gildarts, his tone cold.

 _Give up._ Those two words triggered a sensation that'd been driving him for years. Pushing him forward, keeping him alive. That sensation, was fear of failing. Fear of losing. Fear of being locked up.

Natsu turned his free hand and aimed it at Gildarts, before unleashing a pillar of flames. The man jumped off of him, setting the Slayer free.

Gildarts looked at Natsu and could barely contain himself from showing his saddened, concerned frown.

Natsu no longer resembled a human. His breath was uneven, his pupils so small they were barely visible, his magic blasting off on full throttle and his face stuck in a horrifying grimace of fear. He looked like a wild beast.

Gildarts wanted to reach out to him, to help him. But his mission had to be carried out. There was one more step until the end, and after coming this far, he had to see this through.

"I don't even know who I'm looking at anymore." he whispered. "A wild beast who can't tell when it's defeated, or a selfish brat unable to comprehend things can't always go his way."

He made a step towards the Slayer. This act, this little motion caused Natsu to coat his entire body in flames. Not even a second later, lightning started to crackle around him, this time all over his body. He was about to use his second element.

Gildarts stopped, a vein popping on his forehead. He's had enough.

"I see." he said quietly. "You'd rather break your own body than surrender a lost battle. You're just a brat."

Time froze. A drop of sweat that had just flowed off Wendy's chin has been blasted away when Gildarts unleashed his own magic. A white pillar of pure magic power formed around him and crashed through the ceiling above them, cutting through the ground above them like butter.

Wendy fell onto her face. Her body and mind didn't even have time to register the moment she'd lost consciousness.

Natsu simply stared at his opponent, unable to react. The ground beneath his feet split open, but he didn't give a damn about that. He could only stare into the face of what felt like death. He never felt power like this, not from Erza, not from Laxus, not even from Silva. He felt like he would be killed with a glare alone.

And yet, his body refused to bend. The instincts, the very way of living he'd beaten into it refused to bow down. For 7 straight years he pushed past his limits, shut down the very sense of his being, kept it under lock and trusted his instincts to do the work for him. The thought of failing to punish those, who turned his life into hell kept him going. But, they were gone now. Why was he still holding onto this ideology? Why did he allow himself to be dulled down every time things went even slightly not as planned?

Natsu continued to ask himself these questions in his mind. His body, on the other hand, refused to admit defeat. A wild roar escaped his mouth, as he took a step towards his opponent, his flaming aura continuously growing.

This wasn't a life and death situation. This was just a stupid exam. Why was he still going forward? It was easy to be fooled, after all, this looked like many situations he'd been in in the past. Except in the past, he could actually pull through. This time, there was no chance of winning.

However, his body did not understand that. He took step by step, feeling himself being crushed by Gildarts' magic more and more with each step. But, why? For what purpose?

Seeing that he still hasn't achieved his goal, Gildarts pushed harder. This time, Natsu's body broke on its own, as his knees planted themselves into the soil beneath, like to a prayer.

It did it on its own. Gildarts' magic had a part in that, but he finally understood it. He wasn't a rogue anymore. He didn't have to run from place to place and turn over his shoulder every time he went to sleep. He no longer had anyone to chase. There was no longer any need to chase anything. He didn't have to live his life in fear, like he used to.

So, just this time, just this once, he gave up..

Gildarts released his magic, the air coming back to the room. He carefully observed Natsu, who was on his knees in front of him. He couldn't see his face, but he knew what it looked like.

"I give up." choked out Natsu.

Silence fell. For a long while, neither of them spoke out. Gildarts was the one to break the silence.

"I see." he said quietly. "You pass."

Natsu sucked his breath in and looked at his examiner in disbelief. "What?"

"As I said. You pass." repeated Gildarts, this time with a smile.

Natsu still didn't buy this. "But...why? I failed, I couldn't beat you. I-"

"Accepted your own weaknesses and answered to them." cut him off Gildarts. "My main objective was never to test if you are strong enough to be S-Class, you are beyond that already. My task was to make sure you pass as a human being."

Natsu was still unsure what to make of this. Seeing that he needed to go full way, Gildarts released a tired sigh and massaged his sore neck.

"I was asked by Master Makarov to put you through hell. I pushed you to your absolute limits, you could say I deconstructed you. I had to put up an act. I was to crush all of your strong points one by one and leave you with nothing, only to then see what this nothing was truly worth, and come up with my decision based on that. I talked to Erza, Master and Laxus, since all three of them had encountered you and seen you at your worst. All of them told me you simply refuse to bow down to circumstances and recklessly push your way through, no matter the consequences. Having to be victorious is in your blood, and frankly, I cannot blame you. Living a life where one mistake can result in losing your life – not every man can walk down that path. But the way you did it was wrong."

The Slayer listened in peace, his head still lowered.

"Fear is not evil. It keeps us alive, it aids us in time of need. There are many types of fear. Fear of spiders, fear of losing someone, fear of things returning to the way they used to be, fear of losing, fear of dying. However, despite being so different, all of them have one thing in common – they can break you, if you let them. As soon as you let fear control you, that's game over. Your kind of fear is the worst of them all. You let it fuel your actions and cloud your judgment. You do things you later regret and later on have to fix by trying to convince yourself with an argument that is very often made up. After listening what others say about you, I was sure you are nothing but a simple mad dog, unable to generate any human emotions. But I was mistaken."

Gildarts squatted in front of Natsu and put his hand on his shoulder. The younger man lifted his head and met Gildarts' eyes.

"Although the fear of being defeated is still superior, you do care about others. The most powerful blow I have received in this fight was when you tried to protect that girl." he pointed at Wendy with his head. "And later on, despite being put against a wall, for the first time in your life, you denied your instincts and bowed to me. I cannot blame you for trying to stand up to me, but those, who can put their sword back in its place after taking it out, are in a league of their own. The fact that you managed to do that on your own, without others beating sense into you, means that you are not who I thought you were. I was mistaken. You are not a beast, Natsu. You are human, just like me, or that girl. And as long as you remember this feeling, as long as you remember this lesson, you will become stronger, as well as kinder."

Gildarts extended his hand to Natsu, who gently took it. He allowed himself to be brought to his feet.

"Find a new goal in life. Right now, you have nothing to fight for. It doesn't have to be anything remarkable, but as long as you stay true to it, you will never stray off your path. The next time your back's against the wall, think of people you consider to be family. Point your fear in the right direction and don't let it consume you. Use it to protect them. You're no longer alone."

Natsu took a deep breath. His mind was still in pieces, but he registered every word said by this man. He gave him a weak nod, his head still kept low. His eyes landed on unconscious Wendy. "Will she be okay?"

Gildarts blinked and looked at the girl, before releasing a nervous laugh. "I think I overdid it. She should be fine in a few."

Natsu nodded once again and picked the girl up bridal style. He then walked towards the exit, and as he passed Gildarts, the man spoke out.

"Natsu, don't make me give you this lesson ever again."

He received a nod in return.

"And make sure to aplogize to Erza!" he yelled after the Slayer.

Natsu stopped walking. He slowly turned around and looked at the Crush mage.

"Yeah."

Was all he said, before adjusting Wendy in his arms and walking out of the cave. He was still broken, his legs were shaky and his head was ringing. But mentally, he never felt better. Thankful to Gildarts beyond imagination, Natsu gripped Wendy's body even tighter and stared ahead with determined eyes.

He'd finally found the answer he's been looking for.

 **End of Chapter 19. To be continued in Chapter 20: First Stage.**

* * *

 **I feel like I could have done more with Wendy, but frankly, against Gildarts the only thing she could do is tousle his hair with her magic. She will get her share of being badass later on, but for now, this is still the OC Wendy. Remember, Natsu was the one who taught her how to fight in Edolas, and she met him after that. Her battle capabilities are still low. Give it a moment and she will rise up to her canon self.**

 **Rest of the exam will be covered in the next chapter. I wanted Natsu vs Gildarts to happen in one single chapter, with no break in-between. I have also kept the fight shorter than usual to not drag it out. I think I made my points clear.**

 **Once again, Happy New Year and I hope you have a wonderful 2018! Cya!**


	21. First Stage

**Update: There are some issues with FF. This chapter has been posted over 16 hours ago, and I have not deleted it even once. If you are/were unable to access it through your e-mail, or notifications, please give it time. I have lost almost 10 followers in just 16 hours, all of them probably thinking I was joking around by posting a new chapter, which did not show up to them. I am not at fault, and I have already messaged the moderators. Thank for you your time. /Update End.**

 **Sup. Chapter 20, dropping right now. Sorry it took so long, due to many circumstances that are not even connected to each other, I couldn't get this done earlier. It's short , but I will make it up by posting another one much quicker. I hope you like it! It's centered around the first stage of the exam, as well as some original bits at the end.**

 ** **Enjoy!****

* * *

 **December 29th, Tenrou Island**

Pantherlily and Carla flew above the quiet, peaceful island, the sound of the ocean and birds being the only distractions. Having arrived on the island earlier, they helped the S-Class mages to set up the first stage of the exam. With the exam finally taking place, they had some time to look around the island.

They flew beside each other, circling the island for the second time. Each time they did so, they managed to find something new, be it a new animal, or piece of nature.

Pantherlily seemed to be more interested in the island than his companion. Carla simply hovered in the air beside him, her face stuck in a gentle frown.

Having noticed her mood, Lily decided to finally address the issue. "Is something wrong?" he asked her. "You've been quiet for a while now."

Carla shook her head. "No. I'm fine."

Not buying it, Lily decided to pressure her a little harder. "You're worried about Wendy, aren't you?"

His plan worked wonders. "I told her I'm against it, but she still went through with it!" blew up Carla, getting a small smile from her companion in return. "She said she was going to help him, because they'd both benefit from it, and after that, she refused to talk to me."

"She gave you the silent treatment for a whole week? Now that's stubborn." Lily stated with surprise, although he couldn't hide that he was slightly impressed. "Are you that scared of this Natsu person?"

Carla sighed and shook her head. "No, I know he wouldn't hurt her. I just have a very bad feeling about this whole exam thing."

"You mean that future related ability of yours?"

"Yes. But all I've seen were small fragments, so I can't say for sure. Call it a hunch, if it makes it easier to understand."

Pantherlily grabbed his chin with his paw. "I'm more interested in this Mest person."

Carla blinked. "Why so?"

"He claims to be Prince's disciple. Something is fishy about this."

This statement only made Carla feel more anxious.

* * *

 **Tenrou Island, D Route**

Juvia panted lightly and raised herself to a sitting position, her partner, Lisanna, doing the same beside her. Both women were banged up, and couldn't help but stare at their opponent, who was standing proudly before their eyes.

"Was she...always this strong?" asked Juvia.

"That's **Sea Empress Armor.** " explained the barmaiden "She's using it to seal away your water abilities. It appears she wants to shut you down completely."

Erza swung her blade to the side, her stern, sharp eyes glued to Juvia's figure. "What's wrong, Juvia? You won't be able to become S-Class at this rate!" she proclaimed proudly.

That seemed to do the trick. Juvia's eyes narrowed and focused on their target.

"Lisanna, please move out of the way." she said quietly, not leaving much room for negotiation.

Unsure what was going on, Lisanna nodded and took a step back.

Juvia extended her right arm to the side, her hand clawed. Noticing the bluenette's stance, Erza lowered her knees and brought up her sword, ready to counterattack.

Juvia flexed her right arm and quickly swung it horizontally, with seemingly nothing happening.

Erza had only a split second to react. With reflexes she'd never find herself capable of, she quickly discarded the idea of trying to block the strike, and managed to lean her torso backwards on the last possible second, fear filling every fiber of her being.

Lisanna, who had no idea what happened, was about to speak out, before feeling her eyes widen in pure awe.

Everything behind Erza has been cut in half, with narrow, but wide slashes appearing on the walls. The tall pillars have started to split apart, the top halves sliding off their place onto the floor. The stones and pieces of rubble have also been split apart, as they fell into pieces, echoing throughout the cave.

Erza gulped and looked at her sword, which was now missing its tip. _She focused her magic in her palm and increased the pressure of her water to the point where it cut through stone, and even metal. If I had not dodged in time…_

"Please do not make this face, Erza."

The knight was snapped back to reality by Juvia, who pierced her with her eyes. "You've said it yourself - you want to see me at my best. I have no intentions of holding back against you."

The sudden change in bluenette's attitude caught her off guard, but Erza could not help the gentle smirk that took control of her lips. _Well played._

"That's the way, Juvia!" yelled Erza and swung her blade to the side. "You will not be able to get past me with an undecided heart! Give me your all!"

Juvia turned herself into water, ready to strike at any moment. _I promised I'd meet him later, I cannot fall this early!_ "I will beat you!" proclaimed Juvia and threw herself at the redhead in her **Sierra** form, with confused Lisanna right behind her.

The rain woman launched a giant wave of water at Erza, who swiftly cut it in half, disposing of the threat. She readied her blade once again, ready to attack her opponent, only to find nothing behind the mass of water.

Juvia used this moment to get behind the knight and sent multiple blades of water in her direction.

 _ **WATER SLICER!**_

Erza swiftly ducked under the blades, which cut the remains of the pillars behind her. Juvia tried to close the distance, only to be cut in half, and her torso kicked aside. Lisanna used this opportunity to strike from above in her harpy form.

"You're mine, Erza!" she exclaimed and tried to kick the knight with her right leg.

Erza stabbed her blade into the ground and supported her weight on the blade, before lifting her body off the ground and positioning herself directly above Lisanna, who missed the knight just by the skin of teeth. Erza kicked Lisanna in the back and caused her to crash into the ground, before landing back on the ground and kicking her one more time in the abdomen, which sent her flying to the side.

Erza pulled out her blade and looked at Lisanna's aching figure. "Never be sure of your victory, not unless your opponent is lying by your feet. A battle can be easily overturned in a matter of a second."

"I agree."

Before Erza could react, she caught Juvia approaching her at incredible speed with the corner of her eye. The rain woman placed her hand on Erza's chest, before unleashing her magic on the knight.

 _ **WATER BOMB!**_

Erza's body has been blasted away by a powerful explosion of water, the impact making her grunt from pain. Despite having immunity to water, the impact still hurt her. She felt her back crash into a nearby wall, her body sinking into the stone.

Juvia did not let this chance slip away and unleashed a massive torrent of water, one that could potentially make her the winenr of the fight. Erza stabbed the surface above her head with her sword and kicked the wall, using the momentum to swing her body upwards, as she dodged the attack just in time and landed on her sword, which has now acted as her footing. Erza re-positioned her grip on the sword and kicked the wall once again, pulling the weapon out in the meantime. She flew straight at Juvia like an arrow and kicked the shocked woman in the abdomen, making it her turn to fly into a wall.

The knight landed on her feet and swung her sword to the side, cleaning it off the debris and water, a smirk glued to her face. She couldn't help but feel excitement, something she's learned quite recently. Her repetitive sparrings with Natsu have taught her, that battles could be in fact exciting, thrilling and sometimes even fun.

"That's the way, Juvia. You're finally becoming worthy of your position." she praised the woman, who was now back on her feet, her partner right beside her. "However, you won't be able to defeat me alone. I want you both to come at me and give it your all."

"Don't worry, Juvia. We'll make it through." reassured her Lisanna, now back in her animal form.

Juvia smiled at her partner and nodded. "Yes. We cannot fall here." she said, before preparing another attack.

* * *

 **A Route**

"I can't believe we've had to run into her, of all people..." cursed Elfman under his nose in-between his panting, as he kneeled on one knee beside his partner, Evergreen. He's been knocked out of his Beast Soul for the third time now, and his stamina was starting to drop.

"How many times are you going to repeat that?"

Mirajane struck the ground behind her, using her tail like a whip and stared her brother down. "I told you many times before – if you run into me, do not expect me to go easy on you. You being my brothers doesn't change a single thing. If you're too weak to get on my level, I will simply drop you and that will be the end of it."

Elfman grit his teeth. "I know that already!" he growled and stood up, ready to attack one more time.

"Don't be rash!" hissed Evergreen. "You obviously can't beat her with brute strength!"

Elfman turned to her. "And you can't turn her into stone, because she's avoiding your eyes. I don't see too many options here."

"That doesn't mean you have to charge at her and think things will go differently!"

Ignoring her, Elfman charged at his sister, who sighed in disappointment. The giant retracted his fist and struck with a powerful right straight, only to be stopped with just one hand. Unwilling to give up, he followed with a left kick to the head, which was once again blocked with Mira's right forearm. She pushed his leg aside, causing him to lose balance, and punched him in the gut. Much to her surprise, he caught it with his left hand and retaliated with a punch of his own, which she has also blocked in similar fashion.

"Now then, what will you do?" she taunted him, before pushing him away and kicking him in the gut, which sent him flying into a nearby boulder.

Evergreen scoffed and crossed her arms on her chest, before attacking Mira.

 _ **FAIRY MACHINE GUN: LEPRECHAUN!**_

Multiple yellow needles launched themselves at Mirajane, who simply raised her arm and created a dark-blue sphere, which absorbed every single one of them.

The Demon smirked and sent the sphere at Evergreen and blasted her away. Elfman used this moment to sneak up on his sister and try to punch her, only to be blocked, once again with just one hand. Mira grabbed his wrist and twisted the arm, before clenching her right fist and punching him in the gut, which made him fall to his knee.

"If that's all you've got, you might as well give up." she said coldly and kicked him, sending him fly in his partner's direction. Elfman rolled on the ground and came to a stop just beside Ever, who was only now trying to stand up.

"Is there nothing we can do?" grunted Elfman, as he was also back on his feet.

Evergren remained silent for a moment, as if waging their options. "There is one thing we could use, but I can't guarantee it will work." she said quietly.

Elfman looked at her, and replied just as quietly, picking up the hint. "Anything's worth a shot. What you got?"

"There is something we can exploit, but it'd be all on you. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure."

As the duo discussed their options, Mirajane carefully observed them from afar. With them occupied, she could finally scowl and let the accumulated pain find an exit. Although she was powerful enough to block her brother, her right hand was still not up for the job. Each of his strikes hurt it, and if it continued, she'd be forced to fight with one hand. Unwilling to let it happen, she raised her left hand without a warning and started to charge yet another attack.

Evergreen and Elfman, who have just stopped discussing their plan raised their guard, quickly going through the steps of their plan once again.

"I can't believe I agreed to it..." the giant shook his head in shame.

"Stop whining. If you want to become S-Class, suck it up."

The giant grunted and kicked the ground, charging at Mira once again. Evergreen carefully observed this action – their entire plan depended on the next couple of seconds.

Seeing her brother run in her direction caused Mira to scoff and cancel her attack, before resuming a fighting pose. Evergreen couldn't help the grin that spread on her face.

Elfman punched his sister in the face, only to be stopped just before he could make contact. She answered with a quick punch to his gut, which he endured, and attempted to attack with his left. Mira stepped to her left and nailed him with an overhand right, which made him turn around and fall to his knees.

"Give up." she ordered him.

Elfman clenched his left fist and struck at Mira, who sidestepped out of the way. He let out a barrage of punches, all of them blocked. Losing her patience, Mira clenched her right fist and delivered a powerful punch aimed at his chin, which he blocked with his right forearm.

A loud crack reached their ears, followed by Elfman's roar, as he grabbed his broken arm and fell onto the ground, veins popping on his forehead from pain.

"Stop messing around, I didn't hit you that hard." said Mira, although her voice lacked its previous confidence.

As her brother continued to scream in agony, which was now accompanied by him rolling on the ground, Mirajane's attitude started to drastically change.

"Hey, Elfman...stop kidding. I didn't hit you..." she started, her voice starting to take a worried tone.

The giant dropped out of his **Beast Soul** and dug his face into the dirt, which muffled his voice.

"Lookwhat you've done!" yelled Evergreen from aside. "You broke his arm! No matter what, this is only an exam! There was no need to break your own brother's arm!"

Mira was now panicking. She walked up to Elfman and tried to reach out to him, no longer trying to hide her guilt and concern. "Elfman, I'm sorry..."

Before she could touch him, he sprawled from the ground and walked around her, before securing her in a full nelson, hiw body now back in its **Beast** **S** **oul** form.

"Wha-" gasped shocked Mira, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Sorry Sis, it was not my idea." he said solemnly, but kept her in a strong hold. Small pieces of debris fell out of his left hand, and that caused Mira to connect the dots.

"You crashed rocks in your hand and made me think I broke your arm..." she said in disbelief, which then subdued to anger. "You bastard!"

"If you want to be angry with someone, then do it with me. I was the one who came up with that." said Evergreen with a confident voice and gently took a hold of Mirajane's chin. "Now then, would you please look at me?"

Mira flexed her neck so hard she felt she was gonna piop a vein any time now. "You've gotta be shitting me..." she grunted through her grit teeth, as she refused to turn around. Much to her shock, her brother was much stronger than she'd initially thought, to the point where she could not just force her way out.

Evergreen only chuckled to herself at the sight. "Oh, that's quite alright. We can do this all day."

Elfman simply watched the scene, completely unsure of who the true Demon was in this situation.

* * *

 **C Route**

Lucy and Cana continued further into their route, so far not meeting anyone beside frogs and spiders.

"It sure is deep. I wonder how much more we have to walk before getting to the exit." wondered Lucy aloud. Cana followed her in silence.

Finally they reached an open area, a banner gently flowing with the air above their heads. At the sight, Cana clenched her teeth, despair grasping her heart.

"Quiet, huh?" Lucy read the banner, quite pleased. "I guess we're lucky, we don't have to fight anyone!"

"Lucky?!" repeated angry Cana. "Like hell we are!"

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Cana…?"

"I didn't come here to become S-Class out of pure luck!" yelled angry brunette. "How can I face him after all that, when things are given to me on a silver platter?! I've come here to prove myself, not pass by pure luck!"

"Do you honestly think you are the only person in this exam who feels this way?" asked her Lucy, her tone surprisingly cold. "I can name at least five different people who'd agree with you, but as Master said, this exam will test our resolve and luck. We got lucky, so let's take it and move forward."

Cana did not respond to that. Instead, she sat on a nearby rock and put her hands on her face, her elbows supported by her knees.

Lucy walked up to her friend and put a hand on her shoulder, before kneeling before her. "Think of it this way. We don't have to use magic in this stage, which puts us in an advantage in the next one. We still have plenty of time left to prove ourselves, there is no need to rush things. I'm sure he won't even care how you've become an S-Class, the sheer fact will render him speechless."

Cana sighed and looked at her partner. "You're right. Sorry, I'm way too tense, I can't even think straight. "

Lucy smiled. "I think we're all nervous. Let's get to the end of this route and meet up with the others." she said, as she stood up and extended her hand in Cana's direction, who smiled in return and took it, allowing the blonde to get her back on her feet.

"I wonder who else made it through." wondered Lucy, with Cana thinking the same in her mind.

* * *

 **F Route**

Freed and Bickslow continued down their path, both of them tense. Although they have yet to meet any enemies, they could feel someone's presence somewhere in the area.

They took a turn and found themselves in a massive, open room carved inside of their cave. At its very center stood Laxus, his lips curved in a smirk, his lightning crackling dangerously by his feet.

"Well, well, well. I guess you've drawn the short straw." said the Dragon Slayer.

Bickslow sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Why did I know it'd end up like this?" he asked.

Freed, on the other hand, puffed out his chest and quickly drawn his sword, his eyes set aflame with determination.

"Oh? You look ready to throw down with me, Freed." hummed impressed Laxus.

Freed nodded. "Even if it's you, I shall not hold back. If I am to stand by your side, I must be able to match you in battle. There is no room for personal feelings at this very moment."

"Hey, hey, are you sure about this?" asked him surprised Bickslow. "This is Laxus we're talking about here, no way it's going to be easy."

"I wouldn't see it any other way." replied his partner.

Laxus grinned in approval. "That's exactly right. There are no shortcuts in becoming an S-Class. It's been a while since we've sparred, show me just how much stronger you've gotten."

"I guess there's no other choice." sighed Bickslow and readied his dolls.

"Don't think I'll let you use your Runes." smirked Laxus, his body now coated in lightning.

"I've figured that out on my own." replied Freed, his right eye starting to glow.

* * *

 **B and G Routes**

Loke slid on the ground from a blocked kick, his arms crossed in front of his face. He shook his sore arms off and looked around the area, searching for his opponent.

"Troublesome bastard." cursed the spirit under his nose.

Gray, who was right behind him, punched his hand, before creating a set of ice spears.

 _ **ICE MAKE: SPEARS!**_

The weapons launched themselves at Mest, who appeared for a second, only to then teleport away, unscathed. Gray scoffed in annoyance and joined Loke in the search.

"Doesn't he get tired? He's been jumping like that for over 5 minutes now." wondered aloud the Maker.

"Since he travels very short distances, he can probably keep this up for a long time. His magic hasn't dropped that much since the beginning of this fight." explained Loke. "At this rate, we can either tire him out, or somehow manage to hit him once, but heavily."

"I'll go with one, strong hit." said Gray and punched his palm. "I'd rather avoid long fights for the time being."

He sent an ice hammer in Mest's direction, who teleported away and jumped back, creating some distance.

"Looks like it won't be that easy." noted Loke.

Gray smirked. "Nope, it'll be over before you know it."

He once again punched his hand and placed both of his palms on the ground.

 _ **ICE MAKE: FLOOR!**_

Ice has quickly spread all over the ground of the area, making Loke almost slip in his spot.

"Well then, now what?" asked the spirit.

"Useless. You won't be able to catch me." said Mest and vanished once again.

Gray let his guard down and loudly breathed out, his eyes closing themselves. He knew he'd never be able to catch Mest with eyes alone, so he has given up on using them. Focusing his senses, as well as thinking of all possible patterns of teleportation he has seen up until now, he'd decided to put it all on one card – prediction.

Loke did not say anything in order to not interrupt his partner, so he simply watched the area, anticipating an attack.

Suddenly, Gray snapped his eyes open and threw a quick right jab to the side, his thumb scratching Mest's cheek. The man gasped in shock, as he was grabbed by the collar by smirking Gray and tossed over his shoulder. Mest turned around in the air and landed on his feet, only to then slip on the ice and fall onto his knee.

Loke did not waste this chance and rushed the man, catching him with a light enforced punch to the face. Mest was blown away, his back smashing into a nearby rock.

"What?" he gasped, shocked.

Gray clehcned his right fist and grinned. "I have some experience when it comes to fighting people who can teleport. I just put it into use."

Mest wiped his mouth and stood up. "Miracles don't happen twice."

"Why don't you come here and find out whether it was a miracle or not by yourself?" taunted him the Maker.

Mest scoffed and dashed at Gray, who remained unguarded. Just 3 meters away, Mest vanished. A second later, Gray quickly turned around in his spot and readied a left straight, with Mest doing the same just behind him.

"Wha-" gasped Mest, before being hit straight in the face. Gray quickly followed with a left kick to the ribs, and finished with a right kick to the stomach. Mest slid on the ice, his hands clutching his abdomen.

He was then ambushed by Loke, who threw a quick right hook at his head, which was evaded with Mest vanishing once again. He appeared behind Loke and tried to kick him, only to be blocked. The spirit brushed the strike off and threw one more punch, once again avoided. Mest teleported to his right side, however, instead of trying to block or counter, Loke smirked and lit his hand up so much ir blinded Mest.

Gray used this chance to create an ice bazooka, aimed at Mest and ready to launch at any moment.

 _ **ICE MAKE: BAZOOKA!**_

A giant ball of ice launched out of the weapon, hitting Mest straight in the torso. A powerful explosion of ice covered most of the cave, ice and frost spreading all over the rocks. When the icy mist went down, it revealed a defeated Mest, as he sat against the rock wall, his head hung low.

"Well, I'll be damned." whistled impressed Loke. "That was excellent." he added and raised his hand.

Gray grinned and took it, their hands meeting with a loud clap. "First Stage, cleared!" he exclaimed happily.

After taking their bags and making sure Mest was down for good, both men left the cave, and headed to the meeting point.

"With Mest out, it definitely makes things easier." noted Loke, as they walked down the path. "It'd be great if Natsu and Freed failed as well. Then again, Cana might also be a problem..."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." stated Gray with a displeased face. "If this exam is to be this smooth, I'd rather not take a part at all."

"I know, I was just saying." Loke put up his hands defensively. "Then again, I'm really impressed we've managed to defeat Mest this easily, even if he was all on his own."

"Has he always been this weak?" wondered Gray with disappointment. "I remember him being much stronger a year ago."

"It just means we've gotten stronger."

Gray hummed and ducked to walk under a rock sticking out of the ceiling. "I have to say, I don't exactly remember him fighting anyone."

Loke laughed. "A memory loss joke? Lucy would love it." he walked under the rock as well and continued. "He got pretty far in the last exam, don't you remember?"

Gray turned around to face him. "Then who was his partner?"

Loke opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it and focused his eyes on the ground, trying to remember.

"Who...was it, indeed?" he asked and grabbed his head with his hand. "I can't remember anything."

"Looks like memories regarding Mest are always pretty hazy" pointed out Gray.

Loke's eyes widened. "Now that you mention it, whenever I try to remember something about him, it always cuts off at some point."

As they both continued to try and remember something, they walked out of the cave and got blinded by the sun.

"Gray, Loke!" someone called out to them.

After getting used to the light, Gray spotted Lucy and Cana standing right in front of them, both grinning. Behind them sat Gajeel and Levy, their expressions being polar opposites of each other, with Gajeel's face twisted in a scowl, and Levy's in a happy smile.

"So, you guys have made it through huh?" asked them Lucy and raised her hand.

"Yeah." nodded Gray and gave her a high five, with Loke doing the same a second later.

"Well, congratulations." smirked Cana.

Gray returned her smile and looked around. "Is this everyone? No one else made it through?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. Natsu and Wendy are over there." she pointed at the Dragon Slayers with her thumb.

Gray looked over to where she pointed and gulped.

Wendy was currently healing Natsu's split forehead. The entire left side of his face was covered in his already dry blood, his cut cheek and lip already sealed. His clothes were a little torn, and he was bandaging his hands in the meantime.

"What the hell happened to him?" asked Loke.

"I don't know. Neither of them want to talk about it." sighed Lucy in defeat.

"Is that everyone?"

Makarov walked out from behind the bushes and slowly strolled to the candidates. "I guess it's safe to assume it is. Time to announce the official results."

The elder cleared his throat and pointed with his hand at Lucy. "Cana and Lucy have proved, that luck is on their side, and thus have successfully passed through the "Quiet" Route!"

Lucy grinned and raised her fingers in a victory sign, with Cana sighing at the sight.

"Levy and Gajeel entered the "Battle" Route, however, due to the lack of an opponent, have passed through by default!"

"We got lucky!" beamed Levy.

"Like hell we did!" yelled angry Gajeel. "I didn't get to hit anyone! I got worked up when I saw that sign, but then no one came around! There is nothing lucky about that!"

Makarov sighed and pointed at the Dragon Slayers. "Natsu and Wendy overcame Gildarts!"

"You've gotta be shitting me!" yelled shocked Gray.

"I guess that explains why he looks like that." noted Cana. Lucy could only nod in awe.

"Freed and Bickslow have fallen before Laxus in "Hard Battle."

"Talk about bad luck." Levy shook her head.

"Gray and Loke have defeated Mest in another "Battle" Route." Makarov concluded the results.

Gray looked around. "Does that mean Juvia failed?" he asked.

Makarov blinked, before his face twisted in an unpleasant grimace.

"What the hell's up with that face, old man?!"

Makarov turned on the balls of his feet and straightened his back. "Juvia and Lisanna met _her..._ "

Gray blinked and awaited the continuation. There were two women that could have this effect on the elder.

"That woman-knight that does not know the definition of holding back!" he yelled, the image of victorious, smug Erza standing above Juvia and Lisanna's unconscious figures still haunting him in his mind. Gray could only laugh awkwardly.

"That leaves Elfman and Evergreen." noted Cana.

"And the only route left they could take is..." added Lucy, before her face dropped, with Cana doing the same beside her. "...Mirajane's." they finished with lifeless voices.

"Poor things." sweatdropped Levy.

"We would've beaten her." smirked Gajeel.

"Hold on a second!" yelled someone from behind trees.

The group turned around to the sight of Elfman and Evergreen, both of them injured and supporting each other, but happy nonetheless. "You forgot about us! We defeated Sis!"

"What the-" Makarov failed to supress his shock.

Gray facepalmed in disbelief, with Loke laughing behind him.

"You've bested Mira?" frowned Cana. "How?"

As soon as she asked the question, the giant's face took the shade of pure scarlet. "I-I can't tell...as a man." he stuttered.

Cana did not buy this, but decided to drop the topic.

Makarov cleared his throat. "In that case, it is time to make it official. Natsu and Wendy, Gray and Loke, Cana and Lucy, Elfman and Evergreen, Levy and Gajeel. These five teams shall advance onto the Second Stage, which will begin in 20 minutes. Allow me to explain the details of this exam."

Makarov snapped his finger, and a magical drawing of the island showed up. "Somewhere within this island, there is a grave of Fairy Tail's founder – Mavis Vermillion. Your objective is to find this grave within 6 hours. There are no clues, no headstarts, no checkpoints. You have 6 hours to find it. Those, who find it, will become S-Class. If all of you fail to stumble across the grave, the exam will be ended with no one taking the rank. That is all. You have 20 minutes to restock your supplies and treat your wounds. You will need it." he finished with a sinister smirk and canceled the table.

The teams started to whisper to each other.

"No clues? This place is too big to search through everything." noticed Lucy.

"Looks like this stage is also dependent on luck." Cana bit her lip.

"What a boring exam." yawned Gajeel, all of his interest gone.

As they continued to discuss the next stage, Erza walked out of the exits, with unconscious Juvia and Lisanna hanging over each of her shoulders.

"Ah, I see you've all made it." smiled the knight and gently put down the girls. "Master, Laxus carried Freed and Bickslow back to the ship along with Gildarts. He said he will join us soon."

The elder nodded. "Good work. You could have gone easy on them, though..." he added with a sigh.

Erza puffed her chest out. "There are no shortcuts when it comes to being an S-Class."

Makarov simply waved his hand and walked away.

Erza looked around the area, taking in all of the contenders. She expected to see 3 teams at best, so seeing 5 of them was a pleasant surprise. She searched the area for a particular color of hair and found it sitting by the tree couple meters away.

"How are you?" she asked gently, as she walked up to Natsu and Wendy.

Natsu, whose head was resting on his hands twitched at the sound of her voice and looked up, meeting her gaze. Erza immediately frowned at the sight of his dirtied face. As expected, Gildarts was simply too much, even for him. Still, seeing him here meant that he has obtained something very valuable, and was found worthy of going further.

Natsu did not reply, and instead stared at her armored hands, but to him, they could as well not exist. He could imagine her scorched skin hidden beneath the metal, with Gildarts' words echoing in his brain. _And make sure to apologize to Erza!_

Natsu stood up, which slightly startled the redhead. "Are you okay-" she wanted to ask him, but he cut her off and gently grabbed her right wrist. She couldn't help but slightly hiss from the touch.

"Come here." he said shortly and pulled her behind him, dragging the knight into the forest.

"Wai... Natsu! What are you doing?" she asked him and tried to free her arm, but his hold was simply too strong. Despite putting barely any pressure, he still managed to make the lock too powerful for her to just break out of, so she had no other choice but let him drag her like a doll into the tree.

Natsu turned around and looked at his partner. "You come, too."

Wendy blinked in confusion, but complied and followed the pair.

"What the hell are they up to now?" asked Loke, as he observed the trio with confusion.

Gray simply shrugged and took a sip from his water bottle. He stopped caring a long time ago.

After a minute of walking, Natsu stopped and released Erza's arm. The knight shook it off and stared at the man in confusion. "Could you explain this to me?" she asked, her patience slightly strained.

Natsu ignored her and looked at Wendy. "How are you feeling?" he asked her.

The girl blinked. "I'm still a little dizzy, and I used a bit of my magic, but I can keep going!" she tried to assure him as best as she could.

Natsu walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders, the action making the girl blush.

"Try eating air."

Wendy blinked. "Huh?"

"I've heard you can eat air, and you replenish your magic this way. Do it." he ordered her. "You." he turned to Erza. "Take off your gauntlets."

Now it was Erza's turn to be confused, and even angry. "Natsu, I don't know what you're planning, but at least have the courtesy of warning me, before you do something-"

"Just take them off." he cut her off, his tone harsher that he meant it to be. "Please." he added, this time much softer.

Erza sighed through her nose. Cursing Gildarts in her mind for telling him, she complied and slowly Requipped out of her gauntlets, revealing her bandaged hands.

"Those too."

Scoffing, Erza began to undo her bandages, revealing her burned arms. Although they were not as serious as before, her skin was missing in certain areas, with pinkish, new one growing in other places. She also still had blisters here and there.

Natsu's eyes narrowed at the sight. It also made Wendy to quickly understand the situation and suck nearby air into her mouth, her magic growing immediately.

"Natsu, really, there is no need for-"

"I'm sorry." He cut her off once again. His voice was low, broken and full of guilt. "I had no idea I was doing this to you."

Although Erza's gaze softened at the sound of her voice, his time, she refused to be gentle with him. "Don't be. I knew what I was getting into. I do not need your pity, Natsu. I can take care of myself just fine. You don't see me jumping around the cuts I gave you, now, do you?"

"I know you can." he assured her, having not meant to insult her pride. "But no matter what, what we've been doing was just training. It has its limits. And I've crossed them. I'm sorry."

Wendy tried to not listen to their conversation out of respect and started to heal Erza's arms, the warm light already soothing her itching and aching skin.

Glad that he knew her well enough to choose his words well, she shifted her eyes at her hands. "Well." she smiled. "Apology accepted. But you should really start to control yourself, I can't keep on forgiving you forever. You have to learn how to control yourself."

"I know, I talked with Gildarts." said Natsu. "He told me to find something to fight and live for, and that it should help me with it."

Erza chuckled. "Of course he has."

"Still, you telling me to control myself..." said Natsu, as he looked over his shoulder. "You sure about that?"

Erza followed his eyes and spotted Lisanna and Juvia. Cursing in her mind and subconsciously admitting she made a miss, she blushed gently and looked away. "Shut up." she muttered quietly.

Natsu snorted in amusement and shifted his eyes to look at her face. She was carefully watching Wendy's magic, taken in by the sight. He's been around her long enough to know she was fascinated with the sight of Wendy's healing magic.

"I think I got the right idea of what could it be." he mumbled to himself by accident.

Cursing in his mind, he snapped his head away, just in time to avoid Erza's questioning eyes. "I'm sorry, were you saying something?"

"Nope." he replied shortly. Wendy couldn't help the gentle snort of amusement that escaped her mouth. It wasn't long enough before she could feel her partner's piercing eyes drilling a hole in the back of her head, which made her drop it almost immediately.

After couple more minutes of treatment, Erza's hands regained a huge part of their past glory. She still needed to wrap them up for the time being, but the relief she felt was heavensent.

"Thank you, Wendy." smiled the knight, as she wrapped fresh bandages over her hands. "Natsu." she added after turning to the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu blinked and looked to the side. "Yeah?"

"I'll remember your promise. Make sure you work hard on fulfilling it." she added after Requipping back into her armor. She then smirked and playfully punched his chest, earning her a questioning look from the man. "Now go out there and become S-Class. I'll be waiting for you."

With a weird feeling of excitement, Natsu grinned and returned the favor by putting his fist on her chestplate. "Yeah. You bet on that."

Wendy simply watched the scene in silence, her lips curved in a smile.

* * *

 **Tenrous Island, Shore**

Carla and Lily walked on the beach, with Lily continuing his previous thought.

"The Prince has avoided making contact with people of this world. Even when he visited the guild, he'd always put everyone to sleep, so that no one could see his face. I find it hard to believe he'd take a disciple."

Carla gulped anxsiously. "Where are you going with this?"

Pantherlily exhaled through his nose and looked into the sky. "It might be just a wild guess, but...is that Mest person really a member of the guild?"

Carla's eyes narrowed. Now she wished he did not finish his thought. Her bad feelings only getting deeper, she looked at the island, her thoughts with Wendy.

Unbeknownst to both of the Exceeds, they were being watched from behind the trees by a male figure, his earring gently reflecing in the sun.

 **End of Chapter 20. To be continued in Chapter 21: Death.**

* * *

 **I know it was rather short and probably not worth the wait, especially with how I cut off most of the fights. The characters that have been skipped or cut off get more spotlight later on, this chapter was meant to just get the manga material out of the way and be done with it as best as I could. Next chapters will start to show clear differences between the story and canon, so stay tuned for that. Tenrou will start slowly, but once it drops, it drops hard.**

 **I hpe you've enjoyed it anyway, and I promise next chapter won't take this long. See you later!**


	22. Death

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 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

And so, the Second Stage of the Exam has begun.

Makarov's instructions were quick, and easy to follow. The remaining candidates were to find the grave of the Fairy Tail's Founder – Mavis Vermillion. No clues, no hints, just a time limit of six hours and the title of S-Class for taking upon finding it. With this in mind, everyone scattered with the thought of how easy this stage was going to be.

Thought being the key word.

10 minutes after leaving, Lucy and Cana found themselves being chased by a giant lizard, too big and tough for them to just defeat. Gray and Loke had to run away from a swarm of bird-like creatures with sharp teeth, Levy and Gajeel stayed quiet behind a rock, with a giant dinosaur lurking around, and Elfman and Evergreen continued to argue while running away from a giant boar.

All candidates were on the defense ever since the stage had started. All but one.

Wendy grimaced and closed her eyes, deafened by the sound of yet another giant animal falling by Natsu's feet. The Dragon Slayer sighed and adjusted his scarf.

"Do they ever end?" he asked himself and walked up to Wendy, taking his backpack from the girl. "Making us look for a grave without any clues...like hell anyone is going to find it in just 6 hours.

"I think this is what Master meant when he said luck will be crucial in this exam." pointed out Wendy.

Natsu sighed and looked at the beaten creature. "You think we should ask it?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." sweatdropped Wendy.

Natsu shrugged and threw his backpack over his shoulder, before continuing on their journey. He tried to figure out where the grave could be hidden, but so far, nothing made sense. He thought about checking out each path from the First Stage, but chances of Makarov hiding something in a place that was so crucial in an earlier stage didn't make sense to him. Then he thought of the Tenrou Tree, and was reminded of its unusual shape.

"Hey, Wendy." he said, as he stopped walking.

The girl bumped into his back upon his sudden halt. "Yes?" she asked in a funny voice, her hand on her sore nose.

"That tree..." he pointed with his finger "doesn't it look suspicious? Especially the top?"

Wendy looked up, taking in the view of the tree's crown. "Yes, it is quite unusual. Do you think that's where the grave is?"

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot. We won't cover the whole island in 6 hours anyway."

Although slightly scared of the upcoming climb, Wendy nodded and followed him deeper into the jungle.

Just after few steps, he stopped once again and quickly snapped his head to the right.

"Is something wrong?" asked him Wendy, slightly scared of his face.

His eyes were sharp and focused, a small scowl replacing his previous, calm expression.

"Do you feel that?" he asked her.

"No." she replied truthfully.

Natsu's eyes narrowed even more. Something was not right here.

* * *

 **Tenrou Island, Fairy Tail's Resting Space**

Since the ship back to Magnolia was arriving the next day, S-Class mages had set up a resting space for the spectators and fallen participants of the exam. They were currently in a big tent, with wooden, carved furniture set inside, along with futons in the back corner of the area.

Lisanna carefully watched her sister while cutting vegetables. Mira's forehead was full of veins, the knife she's been using to help her younger sister slowly breaking under her grip. For the past few minutes her patience has been leaving her, with an irritating sound catching by her ears.

"How long are you going to laugh for, you cow?" she growled, the handle of her knife finally giving in.

Erza, who's been snickering for the past few minutes wiped her eyes and raised her hand apologetically. She was wearing blue shorts and an orange t-shirt, her red wristbands she got from Natsu dozing her arms, her hair tied in a ponytail. She was standing behind a giant, steaming pot.

"I...I'm sorry." she choked out and got back to stirring the stew. "It's just...I can't believe they managed to catch you off guard with such a cheap trick. It's very unlike you." she tried to apologize, only to fail and giggle even more. She Requipped a new knife, before grabbing it by the blade and passing it to irritated Mirajane.

Mira scoffed and gently took the blade from the redhead, her face slowly matching the knight's hair color. "I can't believe it myself. That bastard played dirty, I'll never forgive him. Betrayed by my own brother..." she muttered while clumsily cutting the vegetables with her left hand.

Lisanna raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you exaggerating? They were supposed to defeat you, and they did it. Even if a little dirty..." she admitted quietly.

Mira looked at her sister in an outrage and pointed at her with the blade. "So you're taking his side as well?! I should have expected that."

Lisanna met her eyes and simply sighed without replying, before going back to cutting.

"I know I may have laughed a little bit too much." began Erza while wiping her eyes, this time managing to calm down. "But I think it was really nice of you to show your softer side. We don't get to see it too often."

Embarrassed, Mirajane continued her cutting. "Well, that was the last you'll see of it. I will never give a crap about this bastard ever again. He's betrayed my trust."

Lisanna sighed tiredly, knowing full well that this would never turn out to be true, even if she tried. "That reminds me – where are Bickslow and Freed?" she asked.

Erza blew some air onto the ladle and tasted the dish, a satisfied smirk forming on her face afterwards. "They left the island with Gildarts shortly after the First Stage." she replied.

"Already? They should have stayed to the end, and watch who gets the rank!" moaned Lisanna, unable to hide her disappointment.

"It appears they had some important business to attend to." said Erza. She then looked at Juvia, who's been quiet ever since waking up a while ago. "What's wrong?" she asked the rain woman.

Juvia sighed. "I'm disappointed in myself. I've failed to fulfill the promise I made to Gray. We were supposed to face each other in the finals..."

"Don't think of it that way. You did a great job, and you have nothing to be ashamed of." assured her Lisanna.

"She's right. You gave it your all and proved to me, that you are a powerful mage worthy of attending the exam." nodded Erza with pride. The two have actually pushed her quite far during the exam. "As for Gray – he doesn't hold it against you. He told me to tell you that "he'll be waiting". I have no doubt that you will get another chance in the future."

Although it didn't change her mood drastically, knowing that Gray was not disappointed in her lifted Juvia's spirit a little bit.

"By the way, where is Mest?" asked the bluenette. "I haven't seen him since the beginning of First Stage."

"Maybe he got lost?" wondered Lisanna.

"That would be troublesome." noted Erza and stepped away from the stew. "This island is not safe enough to just wander around on. I'll go look for him. Juvia, would you like to help me?"

Juvia blinked in slight surprise, but accepted the offer. "Yes, I'd like to."

"Great." smiled the knight. "You two stay here, we'll be back in a moment." she said to the siblings.

"Okay! Come back soon!" said cheerfully Lisanna. Mira lazily waved at them and took over Erza's spot.

As soon as the pair left the area, Erza turned to Juvia.

"Do you feel anything strange?" she asked.

Juvia blinked in confusion and wondered for a second. "No, I don't believe so. The magic coming from that tree is enormous, but other than that, I don't sense anything else. Is something the matter?" she finished with a small frown.

Erza sighed through her nose and turned her head back to the road. "Ever since we've arrived, I felt like something about this island was off. I hope I'm just being paranoid."

Now Juvia was also feeling a little bit worried.

* * *

Elfman and Evergreen continued to make their way through the bushes, a giant boar still tailing behind them. Fatigue was starting to get to them, but fighting was not an option, which Elfman learned the hard way after being blasted away in just one strike.

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet ended, both of them now flying above a cliff. Instinctively, Elfman grabbed his partner and tried to shield her, as they rolled down the cliff.

With loud thuds they both landed on their back at the bottom, the pig no longer following them, as it stared them down and turned back around.

"Yeah...you better….run." grunted Elfman and slowly sit up, massaging his sore neck. "You ok?" he asked Evergreen.

She groaned and stood up, dusting herself off. "Nothing you should be concerned about."

Elfman sighed and also stood up. "No need to be so fussy. By the way, I've yet to thank you for that cowardly strategy, I wouldn't have come up with such a plan on my own."

"Don't call it cowardly! That was the only way we could have walked past that monster of a sister of yours!"

Elfman opened his mouth to retort, but caught something with the corner of his eye.

They've been approached by a strange young man with black hair and black and white robes, too big to fit his body. His expression was that of mixed boredom and indifference, his messy hair covering a big part of his face.

"People…?" he wondered out loud to himself. "On this island? I thought there wouldn't be anyone..."

Elfman quickly got in a fighting position. "Who are you?" he asked sharply.

"Only members of our guild are permitted on this island." said Evergreen.

The man's eyes widened a little. "A guild? I see...so this island belongs to a guild. I was not aware of that."

Elfman couldn't quite put it together. Although he didn't feel any extraordinary magic from this man, his senses were screaming in danger. He was beyond confused, and he soon let the intruder know that. "I asked you, who are you?!" he yelled and took a step forward.

"No!" screamed the man and raised his hand, signalising Elfman to halt. "Please, do not approach me. Very well, I shall take my leave, but please, do not come any closer."

"What is he talking about?" frowned Evergreen.

"Can we even let him off this easily?" wondered Elfman.

Suddenly, the man's face twisted in a painful grimace, as he clutched his head with his hands. "No...It's coming..." he grunted through his teeth. "The Death Predation...is coming!"

A black sphere began to form around his figure, rapidly expanding to nearby areas. The grass beneath his feet started to wither, losing its colors and turning into ashes. The leaves traveling with the wind have turned into nothingness, as the wave of death marched towards Elfman and Evergeen, both of them unable to move.

The pair felt a strong grip on their heads, as someone forcefully dragged them to the ground, lying on top of them. The wave went over their bodies, taking nearby trees, bushes, as well as animals.

Shortly after, it stopped. Elfman lifted his head off the ground and looked to his left, his eyes landing on a familiar scar and scarf.

"Y-you?!" choked out Elfman.

Natsu released the pair from his grip and turned his attention to the intruder, his eyes wild. Elfman stood up, still shaken up, with shocked but grateful Evergreen giving the Slayer a look of her own. "Don't surprise us like that..." she sighed in relief.

The giant looked over at the black haired man, only to feel his eyes widen in shock, if that was even possible.

He was crying.

The man who's just tried to kill them was now crying, his eyes glued to Natsu's face.

"Natsu..." he muttered in disbelief.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"Natsu!" called out a voice, with Wendy running out of the bushes. "What's wrong?! Weren't we supposed to get to the top-" she stopped midway and took the scenery in awe, unsure of what just happened.

"The trees, no...the whole area has withered." noted Evergreen.

"No." Elfman shook his head gently. "It died." he finished, his eyes focused on the dead birds and mice lying on the ground.

"Was that this person's magic?" asked Wendy, now by their side.

"That's not something you see everyday..." noted Ever.

"I asked who the hell are you!" roared Natsu in anger, shaking the trio behind him up. "How do you know my name? I haven't revealed it to anyone for over 6 years. Where did you learn of it? And most of all, what are you doing on this island?! This land belongs to the guild!"

The man did not appear to register the slayer's outrage. "You've really grown up, Natsu...I wanted to see you for so long..."

That did the trick. Without warning, Natsu dashed forward, his fist connecting with the man's jaw in a powerful right hook. This, however, had absolutely no effect, and only slightly tilted his head to the side, no damage dealt what so ever.

"I see." he whispered, a single tear finding its way out of his left eye. "So you're still not capable, huh?"

"He's crying?" asked dumbfounded Wendy.

"This guy just keeps getting creepier." shuddered Evergreen.

The man then locked his eyes with Natsu, the nature of his irises changing. "Run." he whispered.

Black sphere once again formed around him, taking Natsu in as well.

"It's that thing again!" yelled Elfman.

"Natsu!" Wendy called out to him and tried to run in his direction, only to be picked off the ground by Elfman.

"Stupid, don't get near that thing!"

"Get away from me!" ordered Natsu before being swallowed by the black wave.

The area has once again been taken in by death, the remains of nature and animals perishing even more, leaving it a complete wasteland.

The trio threw themselves onto the ground, Elfman tightly clutching Wendy to his chest. After a short while, the magic has calmed down, leaving behind clouds of dust and remains.

"You alright?!" called out Elfman.

"Yeah!" he got in response, with coughing Natsu walking out of the dust cloud.

"Where is he?"

"Ran away. I can't even smell him."

Elfman blinked and narrowed his eyes. "Hey, is it me, or is your scarf..."

Natsu looked down and immediately felt anger building up inside of him. His scarf he got from Igneel, the one thing that was not taken away from him, was now pitch black. He grabbed it and pulled on it, taking the view in. "That bastard..." he snarled.

"So, what are we going to do now?" asked Evergreen. "We can't have a creepy guy like him run freely on the island. Others might not be as lucky as we were."

"Are you suggesting we should stop the exam?" asked her Elfman, not fond of the idea.

"What else is there to do? I don't want anyone dying because of us."

"We don't even know if anyone else will meet him."

"Do you really want to risk lives of other people because of an exam?"

"I don't think he had bad intentions." threw in Wendy. "He didn't look like he wanted to attack us on purpose."

"Do you even hear yourself?" asked Ever in disbelief.

"Anyway, I've never seen this kind of magic before." muttered Elfman and run the ashes of a tree through his fingers. "I know magic can take lives, but magic designed to do it..."

"Which just adds one more reason to why we should stop the exam now, especially since he clearly can't control it. He could take the whole island in if he snapped."

"No."

Natsu joined the conversation, his fist repeatedly clenching and relaxing. He could still feel the sensation of the man's cheek on his skin. He felt like he's just punched a mountain. "If he wanted us dead, he'd have done it already. I'm with Wendy on this one, he probably doesn't want to hurt anyone. I say we continue the exam, but warn everyone we come across, especially Gramps. We can deal with him after the exam is over, we still have a little over 5 hours left."

"Now that is something I can agree on." smirked Elfman.

His partner sighed tiredly and decided to give up. "Don't blame me if something bad happens."

"Let's pretend we haven't seen each other, after all, we are temporary enemies." said Natsu.

Elfman nodded. "Fine by me. We'll go that way."

Natsu gave a nod of his own and signalised Wendy to follow him, as he headed back to their original location. His mind was still with that stranger. He was more than certain they've never met before, so how did he know it was him? Feeling slightly tired, Natsu shook his head and focused on the exam. It was his primary concern for the time being.

* * *

"He has woken up." announced an elderly tall man sitting in a throne and raised his right arm, his long, silverwhite beard following the movement of his body, flowing in the air. He was speaking to a crowd of people, with six individuals standing up front in a line.

"The day the great dark mage, Zeref comes back to life, has come. We've looked forward to this moment for a long time, and now, all the keys are finally within my grasp." said the elder and clenched his fist. "Today, we shall awaken what slumbers deep inside Zeref."

"Congratulations, Master Hades." bowed a young woman with black hair.

"Raise your head, Ultear." ordered Hades. "You have done well figuring out his location. It is thanks to you our goal will become reality in a matter of hours."

"Your words honor me greatly."bowed the woman with a smile. "However, it appears there is a small problem we may have to deal with first. The strongest guild in Fiore, Fairy Tail, is now present on the land Zeref resides in. They are a fearsome adversary, one capable of destroying two corners of the Baram Alliance. The confrontation may harvest casualties on both sides."

"You're giving them too much credit, Miss Ultear." threw in someone from the line.

Ultear looked to her right, her eyes landing on a young man with long, spiky blond hair, a condescending smirk glued to his face. "Even if they did manage to take care of those weaklings, they are nothing when compared to us. If they try to do anything funny with us around..."

The man licked his lips, black flames forming around his body. "I'll just burn them to a crisp. I've always wondered what does a burned fairy smell like, I can hardly contain the excitement."

"This carelessness will one day be the cause of your downfall, Zancrow." said a tall humanoid goat. He was wearing a suit, with black sunglasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

Zancrow extinguished his flames and looked at his comrade. "You say that, but you're looking highly confident as well, Caprico."

"That is because I was born ready for this day. Confidence and carelessness are two different things."

"Aren't you just being stiff?" asked him Zancrow and playfully smacked his stomach with the back of his hand. "There is nothing wrong in a little bit of danger. The thrill of almost being killed in battle is what makes it feel so good." he finished with a sinister smirk.

"Caprico is right, Zancrow." said a young man with silver hair styled into a pompadour, with square glasses on his nose. "You are being not only careless, but vulgar as well. You lack the ability to realise how marvelous and refined this day truly is. It is the day our guild faces its biggest obstacle, and overcomes it in the most beautiful fashion. We shall release our desires and reach Nirvana."

Zancrow frowned. "Now you're just being creepy, man."

"Your jealousy does not reach my ears."

"I'm not jealous."

Next to them was a giant man with pale skin and a face too small for the size of his head. He was breathing very quickly and loudly, his eyes bloodshot. "I..." he wheezed out. "Ifeelthesame!"

"You're talking too fast, Kain!" yelled Zancrow.

"Should I translate?" asked a young girl with pink, short hair. She was wearing a helmet in the shape of wings placed on both sides of her face, as well as a red cape hanging over her pinkish-black battle suit.

"That won't be necessary." said Ultear. "Are you planning on fighting as well, Meredy?"

Meredy nodded. "Yes. Fight. I will fight."

Hades laughed gently at the eagerness of his subordinates and stood up from his throne, clapping. "Interesting! Truly interesting! They have yet to experience true darkness, for the absolute darkness lurks in the abyss. Today, we shall drag them down into this very abyss. Today, demons and fairies will squabble - eat and be proud, be eaten and scatter! Show me your worth, my Seven Kin of Purgatory!"

The Kin all stood up straight and bowed to their master. "Yes, Master!" they chanted, some of them barely able to contain their excitement.

Hades smirked and looked out the window. "This is the decisive battle, Fairy Tail."

* * *

Lucy stared into the horizon, her head supported by her right hand, which was resting on her knees. She didn't even realise her head was slowly, but surely sliding off her palm, and as soon as it did, she dropped her head low and sighed tiredly.

"Figured out anything?" asked her Cana, also tired from thinking.

Lucy shook her head slowly in disappointment. "How are we supposed to find anything without a single hint? I have absolutely no idea what to do." she moaned.

Canna covered her lips with her fingers and wondered for a moment. "Maybe that's the problem?" she asked after a while.

Lucy blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Do we really have no clues?" continued Cana. "I've participated in this exam many times now, so it's just a hunch, but all of the tests I've taken were rational and made sense once given a thought. There has to be a hidden clue somewhere, we've just yet to see it."

"So, you're suggesting that this exam is not all about luck, but intelligence as well?"

"Exactly."

Lucy frowned. "Maybe it's supposed to be some sort of a puzzle, with words used as elements?"

"Words?" laughed Cana. "Well, we are searching for a grave, so maybe stuff related to death? Death, end of the line, funeral, coffin, tragedy? Demise?"

"Did you really have to use such grim terms?" shuddered Lucy, making Cana send her a teaseful grin.

"Yeah, I guess your analogies would be better. _When people die, they turn into stars_ and all that."

Suddenly, Lucy's eyes widened. "That's it." she whispered in disbelief. She then beamed and jumped up. "I know where the grave is!" she exclaimed happily and grabbed Cana's hand, dragging her into the trees.

"I have no idea how you've managed to figure anything out from this gibberish, but as expected! You rock, Lucy!" cheered Cana with her free hand.

As the girls vanished behind the trees, Gray and Loke peeked out from behind nearby bushes, sinister smirks glued to their faces.

"I told you following them would pay off." said Gray, proud of himself. "Levy might be book smart, but when it comes to weird stuff like this, Lucy is the queen."

"And here I thought I couldn't fall for her more than I already have." sighed Loke with misty eyes.

Gray ignored him. "I knew it - this exam was all about intelligence, greed and-"

"Backstabbing our guildmates in the back?" Loke finished his thought in amusement.

"Yup." nodded shamelessly Gray. "Come on, let's follow them." he stood up and carefully followed the pair, with amused Loke following him in suit.

* * *

Levy covered her ears for the 5th time since the exam started, her patience starting to wear thin.

Gajeel was, to say the least, displeased with the construction of the exam, dissatisfied with both stages and their lack of luck in finding other contestants.

"First they leave me hanging with that stupid "Battle" banner, only to let us pass for free, now they're telling us to find a grave...What the hell is wrong with this exam?!" yelled irritated Gajeel. "And most of all..."

He changed his right hand into an iron club and struck a giant snake that had just appeared before them, knocking it out instantly. "What is the deal with these stupid animals! What is this place, a zoo?!"

Levy could feel veins popping on her forehead. "Maybe if you stopped shouting all the time, nothing would have found us!" she yelled.

"I can't help it!" growled Gajeel. "All I wanted was to clobber Salamander and Titania! Hell, Laxus too, if I got to him. But instead, I had to pick a path, and now we have to walk around this island looking for a grave!"

"So you don't care about me?! All you want to do is fight?"

Gajeel calmed down instantly. "I never said that."

"But that's how you act!"

Levy sighed and massaged her temples, her headache getting stronger. "Why did you even partner up with me?"

Gajeel blinked in confusion. "To make you S-Class, obviously."

"Are you sure you're doing this for me, and not for yourself? That you're not just using me, because you were not picked by Master?"

The man's eyes narrowed, as he turned around to fully face her. "Am I really that low in your eyes?" he asked, visibly hurt by her words.

Levy came to immediately regret her words. "No, of course not. I'm sorry." she muttered. "It's just...all you ever do is fight everybody. I'm weak and small, so there is no way I can pass this exam... I'm just a liability."

Gajeel stared at her for a moment, before smirking and patting her on the head. "Then just get stronger. That's the only option you've got right now."

Levy bit her lip. "Excuse me." she said and gently took his arm off her head, before walking away.

"Where are you going?" he called after her.

"Private business." she threw in answer and disappeared behind the trees.

As she walked forward, she couldn't get her mind off of it. Why was she even chosen? She hadn't done anything remarkable all year long. She was weak when compared to others, not to mention her size. All she was good for was reading, so why did Master let her take part in this exam? And why did _he_ care?

Realising that she may have overreacted, Levy sighed tiredly and turned around to go back. Then, she heard movement in the bushes, and looked back, curious.

"Gajeel?" she called out, thinking it may have been her partner following her.

Two giant figures jumped out of the bushes. One of them was a humanoid dog clad in a samurai armor and a kabuto helmet, a katana readied by his left hip. The other, taller, resembled a chicken, a black robe covering his body.

Before Levy could register anything, she spotted a blade right in front of her eye. With reflexes she'd never suspect herself of being capable of, Levy leaned back just in time to avoid a fatal strike. She fell onto her bottom, her headband splitting in two, with a small cut opening on her forehead.

"Wha...Who are you?!" she questioned while on the ground.

The chicken forcefully took a hold of both of her arms and brought them above her head, pinning her to the ground. The dog walked up to her and raised his blade above his head, ready to deal the decisive blow.

"You're first." he muttered and brought the blade down.

Was this it? Was she really going to die, just like that? Ten seconds is all it took for her to lose the most valuable thing she had? Images started to flash before her eyes. All of the books she's read, her friends, Gajeel.

 _Gajeel._

Levy closed her eyes, subconsciously accepting her fate. However, the blow did not come. Instead, her ears picked up the sounds of two pieces of metal clanking against each other, a dull impact and a grunt of pain, with something warm falling onto her face.

The bookworm slowly opened her eyes, which then widened in an instant, both of them filling up with tears. Before her stood Gajeel, his left, hardened arm he used to block the sword with raised above his head. His right hand was turned into a club, which he used to strike the chicken straight in the stomach, which made him cough up blood that fell on Levy's face.

The chicken flew backwards, and with his right hand now free, Gajeel could use it to strike the dog. He struck with his club, which the creature ducked under and jumped back on his own, receiving no damage.

"Looking for someone as small as you in this jungle is quite troublesome." said Gajeel, his eyes sharp and focused on his opponent. "So don't you leave my side ever again."

Too relieved to argue, Levy wiped her eyes and grinned. "Okay." she nodded. She stood up and placed her back against Gajeel's, her attention now focused on the bird.

"So? Who are we dealing with? Did Gramps place these guys in here to make the exam tougher?"

Levy shook her head. "I doubt that. Judging by this mark...they are probably from Grimoire Heart, the strongest dark guild in Fiore. But why would they be here?"

"If they haven't been invited, then they must have come on their own. I guess wherever there's work, there are accidents as well." smirked Gajeel. "If you ask me, stuff like this should be handled by those considered to be S-Class rather easily. Otherwise, this exam would have no purpose."

"But this is Grimoire Heart! One of the corners of Baram Alliance!" reminded him Levy.

"If I can't get over something this small, then I am not suited for the rank. That's all there is to it. Same with the others."

"We can't just attack them without a warning!"

The dog swiped his sword to the side and laughed mockingly at the girl's words. "See, this is why I keep telling you official guilds are pathetic, Kawazu! Rules, morality, they're all worth shit when you're about to die!"

Kawazu chuckled. "As if rules applied to war! How ridiculous!"

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "War?"

"What is your goal?!" asked Levy, trying to buy some time.

The dog grinned in a sinister fashion and raised his blade above his head. "To exterminate all fairies from this world!" he roared and swiped down.

A giant sign with foreign characters formed in front of him. Along with it, a horrible, painful sound echoed throughout the area, causing Gajeel and Levy to cover their ears in pain. because of his enhanced senses, Gajeel suffered immeasurably, his head splitting in two.

"My...My ears!" cried out Levy.

"Sounds from words?!" roared Gajeel. "This is the same magic as yours!"

Levy opened her eyes and took the sight in, dots connecting in her brain. "It's Solid Script from Orient!"

Using the distraction to his favor, Kawazu kicked the ground and dashed at the pair.

"Gajeel! Behind us!" alarmed Levy to no avail. He was completely overpowered by the sound and failed to spot her warning. Seeing that it was pointless to talk to him, Levy grabbed him by his jacket and dragged him down to the ground, both of them evading Kawazu, as he slashed at them with his sharp claws.

Finally seeing the enemy, Gajeel quickly stood up and braced himself.

The chicken puffed out his chest in a fashion similar to his Roar and jumped upwards.

 ** _EGG BUSTER!_**

He spat out dozens of eggs, which flew in the pair's direction at incredible speed. Discarding his initial shock of the individual's magic, Gajeel quickly hardened his body in iron scales and blocked majority of the eggs. Two of them managed to pass right by him and struck Levy in her torso, making her gasp for air.

"Levy!" called out worried Gajeel.

He didn't get a chance to check up on her. With the corner of his eye he spotted something above him, so he quickly grabbed her and jumped back, avoiding the dog's slash at the last possible moment. The samurai did not let go and followed the Dragon Slayer, his blade readied by his right hip.

 _Because of this ruckus I can't even hear his footsteps!_ growled Gajeel in his mind and ducked in order to avoid a stab aimed at his head. He grabbed the blade with his left hand and turned his right one into a club. Pulling the blade towards his figure, Gajeel used the momentum to strike the dog in the abdomen. He managed to raise his left leg just in time to block the blow with his knee. Feeling that holding the blade for longer than necessary could end up badly, the Dragon Slayer leg go of the weapon, which allowed his opponent to jump back.

Kawazu jumped upwards once again, readying another wave of eggs. In the meantime, Levy managed to get a hold of herself and write her own set of scripts.

 _ **SOLID SCRIPT: SILENCE!**_

Her words made contact with their oriental counterpart, shattering them into pieces. Silence fell in the area, shocking all three males, with Kawazu failing to deliver his attack.

"The sound is back to normal." whispered Gajeel, before curving his lips into a sinister smirk.

"You canceled out my words?! You bitch!" roared the dog, turning his attention to Levy.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S HARD FIST!_**

His plans were ruined by Gajeel, who planted his hardened fist deep into his gut, making him cough up blood.

"Yomazu!" called out his partner and puffed out his chest.

 _ **EGG BUSTER!**_

The eggs flew in Levy's direction, meant to catch her off guard, however this time, she was prepared.

 _ **SOLID SCRIPT: FIRE!**_

The eggs were taken by flames shaped into a word, all of them turning into ashes, much to their owner's shock.

"How dare you!" roared Yomazu and headbutted Gajeel, before jumping back. He put his sword at hip level and slashes horizontally, however this time, his range was much different. Gajeel was forced to lean back as hard as he could to avoid being cut in half, the trees behind him showing him his possible fate.

Yomazu regained his posture and struck once again, this time at an angle. Unable to dodge properly, Gajeel blocked it with his right arm, his forearm splitting in the process along with his scales.

In the meantime, Levy tried to deal with Kawazu's constant waves of eggs, which kept increasing in numbers. Unable to burn them all, she helplessly put up her arms to protect herself, as multiple projectiles struck her at once, dull pain spreading all over her body.

"Levy!" called out Gajeel and tried to run up to her.

"Are you in any position to look away?!" yelled Yomazu and slashes vertically at the Dragon Slayer, who sidestepped to his right and kicked the ground as hard as he could.

"Out of the way!" he roared and struck the dog in the face, breaking his nose in the process. This caused him to fly backwards, as he slid on the ground, using his plunged into the ground sword to slow himself down.

Yomazu breathed heavily and pulled the blade out, before raising it up to right side of his face. "You seem to be distracted by something. Allow me to take care of it."

It took Gajeel a second to realise that the blade was not aimed at him. In despair he kicked the ground as hard as he could and ran towards Levy, the flying sword strike moving in slow motion in her direction.

Gajeel managed to get in front of her just in time to change the trajectory of the attack and feel it pierce his left side, as it came out on the other side, missing Levy completely. He grit his teeth in pain and fell onto his right knee, finding it hard to catch a breath, his iron scales falling off his skin..

"Gajeel!" called out Levy and ran up to him despite her injuries.

"Is that all you've got, Fairy Tail?" asked Yomazu and relaxed his posture, with Kawazu walking up to him. "Pathetic. At this rate, we will take care of you lot before the main squad appears."

Gajeel clenched his fist on the ground, grass trapped in his fist. "Main squad, you say?" he asked in-between his heavy breaths.

"Exactly that. The entirety of Grimoire Heart is on their way as we speak." confirmed the samurai.

Levy's eyes widened in terror. "No way...But that's-"

"Levy." cut her off Gajeel. "Run."

Levy blinked in confusion. "What are you saying?! I can't just leave you!"

"This is not just a friendly bickering between two rival guilds. This is going to turn into an all out war if we let it happen. Get away from here."

"But I-"

"Hurry up and get out of here!" roared Gajeel, now angry. "Let everyone know what is going to happen, only you can do it now! I can take care of these pieces of filth on my own!"

Too shaken up to even answer, Levy nodded lightly and stood up. However, before she did, she swiped her fingers to the side, making a giant piece of iron fall in front of Gajeel.

"Don't die." she ordered him quietly and run off.

"As if we'd let you escape!" exclaimed Kawazu and prepared to chase after the girl, only to be struck in the beak once again.

Yomazu watched his friend fall to the group, a scowl forming on his face. "You bastard..." he growled, as he watched Gajeel devour the iron.

With the last bite, the Dragon Slayer sighed and punched the ground so hard it shook, making his opponents know that he was no longer on the same level as he was before.

"So your goal is a war with Fairy Tail, huh?" asked them Gajeel, before blowing into a mad laughter.

"Has he lost it?" questioned Yomazu.

"He intends to take both of us on alone, he must have snapped." taunted his partner.

Gajeel calmed down and took a deep breath. "Oh, don't mind me. I was just hit by a bit of nostalgia, that's all." he grinned, the image of victorious Gray standing over him in the ruins of his previous guild still haunting him to this day. "I've been in your position before, and I just can't wait to make you feel the same way I did back then."

Yomazu readied his blade, not amused by the Slayer's attitude. "Your threats are of no use for us. You will die here, nothing is going to change that."

Gajeel grinned even wider, iron scales growing on his body once again. "I'm glad she's not here. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to take care of you pieces of trash properly." he said, as he stood up, ready for Round 2.

* * *

Levy ran through the forest as fast as she could, her lungs and throat burning, her body heavy and aching. Although she was at her limit, she could not afford to take a break. She had to let everyone know about the tragedy that was about to happen.

All of a sudden, her leg was caught up on a tree root, which caused her to fall. Trying to keep her balance, she fell to her left side, which happened to be the edge of a big slope. She rolled down, her body catching every stone, root and branch on her way down, banging her up even more. After what felt like a minute, her body has finally planted itself on the ground, the pain almost making her black out.

With misty vision, she saw someone squat in front of her, blue shorts and female legs covering most of her field of vision.

"...vy? Levy? Levy?!" she heard someone call to her.

It took her everything she had to look up, her eyes becoming teary at the familiar sight of long scarlet hair.

"Erza..." choked out Levy, glad beyond belief.

"What happened to you?! These injuries are horrible!" gasped Juvia and also sat down.

Erza gently picked the bluenette up and places her head on her lap, taking in the extent of her wounds in the meantime. "What happened?" she asked.

The bookworm grimaced and took Erza by the collar, pulling her down. "Erza...Gajeel...Grimoire Heart...on this island..."

Although the message was messy, it was more than enough to let the knight realise, that something terrible has happened.

* * *

All three men dashed forward at the same time, Gajeel's wound temporarily treated thanks to the food he got from Levy. He raised his right hand, signalising a punch, which made Yomazu put up his blade in order to block it. Glad that his feint paid off, the Slayer dropped his hand and puffed his cheeks out.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Yomazu was swallowed by a torrent of iron blades and bits, which forced Kawazu to throw himself to the side in order to avoid the damage. The samurai, however, managed to protect himself at the last possible second, a giant word **Defense** standing between him and the Roar.

Kawazu raised his head upwards and spat out dozens of eggs into the air, which then started to fall downwards, all of them aimed at Gajeel.

 _ **HEAVY EGG RAIN!**_

Unable to jump back, Gajeel quickly snapped his teeth shut, which canceled the roar. He then raised both of his arms upwards and turned them into spears.

 ** _IRON DRAGON'S LANCE: DOUBLE DEMON LOGS!_**

Multiple spears launched out of his arms, effectively knocking down all eggs coming in his direction. In the meantime, Yomazu swiped his sword through the last bits of the Roar and readied himself to strike the Slayer. Spotting this with the corner of his eye, Gajeel aimed his right arm at the dog, the spears now flying in his direction. This caught the samurai off guard, and forced him to dodge and knock down all of the incoming spears. One of them plunged itself deep into his right shoulder, making him hiss from pain.

Kawazu tried to launch more eggs, however Gajeel had enough of them. Turning his left arm into a sword, he shifted his weight and slid on his feet along with his extended arm.

 _ **IRON DRAGON'S SWORD!**_

The strike caught Kawazu's stomach, forcing his feet off the ground, his body dragged in the air by the blade. With one final push, Gajeel made the chicken slide off his blade, his stomach cut open, blood splattering out of the cut. Kawazu fell onto his back, defeated, a small pool of blood forming around his body.

"Kawazu!" yelled enraged Yomazu and swung his blade at Gajeel, who blocked it with his hardened left forearm.

"You came to war without being prepared to lose something?" asked him the Dragon Slayer. "You weak piece of trash!" he roared and punched him with a swift right hook.

Yomazu shook the strike off and answered with a right kick to the Slayer's left side, catching his wound with his foot. Gajeel hissed in pain, his wound opening once again. This left him unguarded for just enough time to let Yomazu unleash a barrage of stabs and slashes, all of them dodged, although with great effort.

"Casualties are considered only when the conflict is between two even in strength forces!" yelled the samurai. "To lose even a single man to your pathetic guild is a disgrace to the name of Grimoire Heart! For bringing shame to us, you will die!" he roared and cut through Gajeel's scales, opening his left shoulder in the process.

Gajeel clenched his teeth in pain and retaliated with a **Hard Fist** to the gut, which made Yomazu buckled over in agony. Gajeel used this opportunity to join his hands above his head and bring them down onto the back of his opponent's neck. Yomazu dropped to his knees, only to be then kicked in the ribs. The dog rolled on the ground, his helmet falling off his head. Gajeel followed him, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Yomazu had other plans, however, and swung his blade so fast Gajeel had only a split of a second to lean back to avoid losing his head.

"You!" roared the samurai and swung horizontally, sending yet another giant strike, which Gajeel ducked under. "You deserve to be killed by me!" this time, Yomazu swung downwards, which forced Gajeel to throw himself to his right.

The Slayer rolled on the ground, his wounds letting him know of their presence. This froze him in place for a moment, which gave his opponent just enough time to catch up to him. The dog stabbed right at his heart, which was caught with Gajeel's right hand, resulting in a power struggle between both men.

"I won't lose..." growled Gajeel, the images of his defeats to Natsu and Jolene still haunting him in his dreams. "There is no way in hell I am losing here!" he roared and snapped the blade downwards, breaking it into pieces.

"My...my sword!" gasped Yomazu in shock.

Gajeel put the remains of the blade into his mouth and chewed fiercely, before swallowing and releasing a deafening roar, his magic power increasing in the process. He clapped his hands above his head, both of them glowing with a bright green light, a giant blade growing out of both of his arms.

 ** _SECRET DRAGON SLAYER ARTS! KARMA DEMON IRON GOD SWORD!_**

Gajeel brought the blade down, effectively catching Yomazu in the swing. He cut the dog open from chin to waist, his armor breaking into tiny pieces, blood splattering out of the wound. Yomazu slid on the ground for several feet before coming to a halt, as he lost consciousness. Gajeel took a couple of deep breaths and released his magic, before dropping to his knee. Although he'd suffered more injuries than he was planning on, he was still good to go if needed.

He looked at his fallen enemies, a small sense of pride and confidence sparkling a new inside of him. He'd been on the receiving end for far too long. It felt good to be back.

Suddenly, his ears picked up a quiet sound of choked laughter. Shocked that he was still conscious, Gajeel looked at Yomazu, who stared into the blue sky, his eyes wide and bloodshot.

"Celebrate...while you still can...Fairy Tail." he choked out, gargling on blood. "Mages even I can't stand up to...are coming...The Seven Kin of Purgatory are on their way! It's over for you lot! Over!" he laughed maniacally in his final moments, before his voice died, as he passed away.

Gajeel stared at his opponent's corpse, cold sweat running down his face. After his last encounter with a dark guild, his memories were far from pleasant. Gritting his teeth in pain, he managed to stand up and looked into the horizon, as if expecting to spot the approaching enemy.

"Damn it all to hell..."

 **End of Chapter 21. To be continued in Chapter 22: One Of The Kin**

* * *

 **Whew, finally over. Before you point it out - Gajeel's actions will be mentioned and treated accordingly. I have decided to kill Yomazu off, mostly because he has no place in the future of this arc, and quite frankly, he shouldn't even be able to move, let alone fight with these injuries. Therefore, I have decided to make Gajeel kill him in the result of a battle. This story is rated M for a reason.**

 **I have also implemented some original bits into the battle in the second half of the chapter, as well as original bits and dialogue in the first one. I despise covering canon material, so I'm trying to alter it accordingly, and spice it up with original bits. Most of the fights in this arc will be mixed up with my own takes, so I hope you'll like them.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Make sure to pm me, or leave a review. See you next time!**


	23. One Of The Kin

"Gajeel!"

The man turned around to the sound of Levy calling out to him, accompanied by Erza and Juvia. They were both supporting her, her arms hung over their necks.

"I'm fine!" he yelled back and immediately winced in pain, his pierced side reminding him of its presence.

"This is..." gasped Juvia, taking the scenery in. She was more focused on the blood spilled all over the area, rather than craters, cuts and cracks in the soil and downed trees.

Erza silently took the area in, her eyes landing on Yomazu's corpse. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of his state, her stomach turning a little. "What happened here, Gajeel? Explain." she demanded, her tone harsher than she meant it to be, as she left Levy in Juvia's care and walked up to the Dragon Slayer.

"As you can see." grumbled Gajeel, clutching his side. "We got ambushed. Pricks tried to kill me, and not just me. They said their guild has proclaimed war to Fairy Tail. Their guild is called Moira Heart or whatever."

"Grimoire Heart." corrected him Levy while sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.

"Yeah. Like hell I'd lose to someone like them." he smirked through pain.

Erza's eyes widened. "Grimoire Heart, on this island?!"

Her right hand glowed in bright light, as she Requipped a flare gun. She aimed it towards the sky and pulled the trigger, a red flare launching out of the gun. "We must let everyone on the island know immediately. The Exam is hereby suspended!"

On the other end of the island, Natsu looked into the sky, frowning. "Red signal...enemies?" he muttered.

"Yes, the red signal means there are enemies nearby." nodded Wendy, having remembered Mirajane's hints she received couple days prior. "The exam has been suspended."

Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You think it was that guy?" he asked, referring to the young man in black they met earlier.

"I don't know. I hope not."

Natsu sighed gently through his nose. "All right, let's meet up with others."

In the middle of the island, Lucy and Cana stared into the sky, the latter's face slowly twisting with anger. "Why now?!" she roared, frustration taking the better of her. "Why did this have to happen today?! We're so close to the finishing line!"

"Nothing we can do, Cana." Lucy put her hand on brunette's shoulder. "It's only suspended. There's a chance it's a false alarm, and it'll be resumed."

She wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew her personal feelings had no place here right now. Cana slowly nodded, receiving a reassuring smile from Lucy in return.

Gray and Loke, who've been tailing the pair for quite a while now looked at each other and nodded, before coming out from the bushes.

"Yo." greeted them Gray, his right hand raised.

Lucy blinked in confusion. "Gray? What are you doing here?"

"Pure coincidence." he replied quickly. "But it's a good thing we met you. There are enemies on the island, best to stay together."

"Let's head to the emergency meeting spot. We have to filled in on what's going on here." added Loke.

Lucy nodded, with Cana doing the same a moment later, although not as eagerly.

Erza threw the gun away and changed into her Heart Kreuz armor. "Now, Gajeel." she turned to the Dragon Slayer. "Explain what happened here. In details."

Before he could reply, Kawazu woke up and began to cough weakly. Erza quickly turned in his direction, before walking up to him.

"You're awake. Good. Tell me what your goal is." she commanded the fallen dark mage.

Kawazu looked at her with his half-open eyes and cackled lightly. "As if...I'd tell you anything."

Juvia walked up to the knight's side, eyeing the chicken in the same fashion. "You are speaking to Titania of Fairy Tail. I'd spit it out if I were you." she warned calmly, at the same time threatening him. It was a trick she saw being used by Gray in the past – Erza's reputation was known amongst dark guilds, and her name alone was often enough to intimidate them.

Kawazu stared intensely at the women in silence for a few seconds. "Fine. I'll tell." he gave up, his gaze and voice giving in to fear.

After giving him some quick first aid treatment in a form of rags wrapped tightly around his torso, Juvia and Erza laid him back down and stared at him in expectation.

Although hesitant, he decided to give in to their eyes, unwilling to die just yet. "Zeref. Our goal is Black Wizard, Zeref." said weakly Kawazu. "He's on this island."

"What did you say?" asked him shocked Erza. "How is that even possible?!"

"Zeref..." wondered Juvia out loud. "As in that legendary black mage who lived hundred years ago?"

"400, to be precise."

"There's no way he could be alive! I mean..." denied Erza. She still remembered the chaos his person caused. Seven Commandments, Tower of Heaven. Jellal. All of this happened in order to bring him back to life, and now it turns out he was alive all along? Everything she's seen, every tragedy she witnessed turned out to be for nothing. With rage building up inside of her, she focused on the dark mage once again, willing to listen more to their plans.

"He lives." confirmed the dark mage. "And he has lived for 400 years. According to Master Hades, he's been merely in the state of "slumber"."

"I can't believe this..." Erza pinched the bridge of her nose.

"When Zeref wakes up, this world will be submerged in complete darkness." continued the chicken, his tone growing bolder with each word.

Erza opened her eyes and looked at him dangerously. "Are you planning on causing chaos on this sacred land? Despite the Fairy Protection granted by the Tenrou Tree?"

"Exactly that. The main army of Grimoire Heart under the direct command of Master Hades is approaching this place as we speak. I would not underestimate the Seven Kin of Purgatory if I were you!" he laughed. "Ultear, Rustyrose, Caprico, Kain Hikaru, Zancrow, Meredy. They are all coming here!"

"Wait a second." Juvia's eyes widened after listening to his threats. "You said there is seven of them, but you've mentioned only six names."

Kawazu sent her a sinister grin. "The last one is already on this island."

Erza felt chills being sent down her spine. "Juvia, take Gajeel! We are moving out, we need to find everyone and warn them!"

"No."

The knight turned to Gajeel, who was now back on his feet, although wobbly. "Don't. I'll take shrimp back to the camp, you two go and warn the others. That way we'll cover more ground."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're both injured." she shot him down.

"We'll manage. Worst case scenario we'll hide. We don't have much time left."

Erza opened her mouth to argue back, but she was cut off by Juvia.

"The camp is in the direction we've just come from. I doubt there are any enemies in that area." she noted.

Erza sighed and nodded. "Very well. Mira and Lisanna are at the camp, they'll patch you up and escort you to the meeting point. Good luck and stay safe." she threw in farewell to already parting Gajeel and Levy, and motioned at Juvia to follow her, but not before wrapping Kawazu in ropes.

* * *

Pantherlily and Carla flew over the coast, searching for Mest. Their already bad feeling has been fed by the flare shot out by Erza couple minutes prior, which Lily recognized as a signal of approaching enemies, mostly by its color that has been used by the Edolas army.

"Can't things just stay quiet for once?! How did they even get here?" wondered Carla out loud, her patience wearing thin. She already has enough of this exam.

"It is possible they sneaked in on the same ship as we did." noted Lily.

After couple more minutes of flying, the pair of Exceeds spotted the man in question, who was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the vast ocean.

"Mest!" called out Carla, catching the man's attention. He slowly turned around in their direction, surprise written on his face. "The cats? What are you doing here?"

"We've been looking for you." answered the tabby after stopping to meet him at eye level, Lily beside her. "But more importantly, have you seen the signal?"

Mest blinked in confusion. "What signal? I haven't seen anything."

Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Just who the hell are you?"

Now the man was completely lost. "What do you mean, who am I….I'm Mest, Mystogan's disciple-"

Before he could even react, Mest felt a giant fist fly by his right cheek, as it smashed into the rock placed behind him. He stared with eyes wide open, taking the sight of an enraged Pantherlily, now in his true, battle form.

"If this is a poor attempt of a joke, then I suggest you drop it immediately." snarled the Exceed. "The Prince would never take a disciple in this world, not while carrying out his mission. I do applaud you for using someone who is no longer in this world – a smart move. But you've made a terrible mistake in your setup, Mest. If that even is your real name."

Cold sweat ran down his face. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!" the man tried to defend himself.

"You can probably use magic that allows you to alter memories of other people. You cast it on other members and then pretended to be one of them. However, even without the bit about the Prince, your story is almost as full of holes as a wheel of cheese. Starting with the fact, that you've been absent from the guild for months, and you did not even bother to put the new members under you control after reappearing. Me included. You probably never even suspected someone could doubt you."

Carla watched the scene, slightly impressed by her friend. As expected of a former military commander.

"On top of that" continued Lily. "you appear to not even know what the signal sent out earlier means. Tell me the truth. While you still can."

Mest's expression changed. Now it expressed pure annoyance. He opened his mouth to speak out, but he froze in this position, his mouth slightly agape, his gaze glued to something behind Pantherlily. Suddenly, he vanished, surprising the Exceed. _He disappeared?! No…_ _Teleportation Magic!_

Mest appeared in front of Carla and before she could realise, he grabbed her and clutched tight to his chest, before jumping to his right. A massive chain of explosions plowed down the place she was hovering in, dust and pieces of the cliff flying in all directions.

Once it calmed down, he released the Exceed from his arms, his gaze focused on the tree up ahead.

"An attack? What is going on in here?!" wondered out loud Lily.

Carla stared at Mest, shocked. _He guarded me?_

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" demanded Mest.

Suddenly, the tree started to shake, with something that resembled a man shaping out of it, his face growing out of the trunk.

"Well done finding me." he praised, as he continued to grow out of the tree.

"A person is growing out of the tree?!" questioned Carla, having never seen such absurd in her life

"Who are you?!" Lily repeated Mest's earlier question. He sensed tremendous magic from the man, who was more than likely an enemy.

"My name is Azuma." stated the man, his head now out of the tree. "One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

"Grimoire Heart?" repeated Pantherlily in confusion.

"One of the dark guilds." explained Carla.

"I see." Mest's eyes narrowed. "So the previous signal was to announce an enemy attack."

"And, as you can see, it was launched slightly too late." mocked him Azuma, his torso now freed from its prison.

Mest started to chuckle to himself nervously. "Of course...I should have expected, that if I infiltrated Fairy Tail's Holy Land, then a few questionable things would have popped out." He then covered his face with his palm, his body now slightly shaking. "But Grimoire Heart on top of Black Wizard Zeref?! Give me a damn break..."

"Just who the hell are you?" questioned him Carla.

Mest turned around and looked at the cat, a nervous grin on his face. "Haven't you realised it yet? I'm with the Council. I've been put in here to find evidence good enough to take Fairy Tail out for good."

"Oh?" hummed Azuma from his tree, clearly intrigued by the confession.

"But it looks like my mission has failed. Time for a change of plans." grinned Mest and looked at the ocean once again with a confident look.

The Exceeds and Azuma looked in that direction as well. On the horizon, there was a giant ship approaching the island, with the Council's sigil on its sails.

"To think a guild with an unknown location such as yourself would come directly into my trap. It must be my lucky day!" exclaimed Mest. "This battleship was originally intended to carry the members of Fairy Tail after I've found them guilty, but it will do just fine for you demons! I am taking you all under arrest!"

Azuma slowly directed his gaze back onto Mest. He was now completely out of the tree, his arms crossed on his chest. He was standing perpendicularly on the trunk. "Battleship?" he questioned. "Are you talking about that?"

Suddenly, the ship blew up, a massive explosion swallowing it in a matter of a second. Pieces of scorched wood, metal and bodies flew up in the air, with a giant mushroom of fire and smoke expanding on the surface of the water, shocking the other three. They were speechless.

Azuma scoffed and jumped down, his feet now fully on the ground. He had dark skin, with thick brown hair and a goatee. He wore silver earrings in the shapes of a crescent moon pointing downwards, with a leather armor and dark-green pants with widened pantlegs.

"Now then, Mister Official." he said as he cracked his neck. "Would you mind if I began my job now?"

Pantherlily quickly ran up ahead of the two and put up his guard, awaiting an attack. _This is gonna get ugly..._

* * *

Makarov stared at the grave with guilt filled eyes, before closing them. "First Master, Mavis Vermillion..." he uttered quietly. He then bowed down. "Please forgive me. I have invited enemies onto this holy land. Words cannot express how disappointed you must be at this moment. I take full responsibility."

He straightened himself up and opened his eyes. "I absolutely accept any form of punishment you wish to inflict upon me. Therefore, please...protect these kids from harm." he begged, and bowed once again. He picked up his previously casted aside bottle and took couple more sips, before putting it back on the ground and walking away from the grave.

This old man still had a job to do.

* * *

Lily kicked the ground and rushed at Azuma with a beastly roar. The man has simply raised his right arm in response, aiming it at the cat.

 _ **BLEVE**_

Pantherlily was swallowed by a point-blank explosion. Azuma stayed in his spot, curious of the state his opponent was in. Much to his joy, the Exceed emerged with light injuries and struck him with an uppercut, landing beneath his chin, which blew him back.

With all of his expectations lost, Azuma put his head back in its position, completely rid of damage. Disappointed by his opponent's strength, he scoffed and jumped back.

Before Lilu could follow through with another attack, he spotted multiple bright particles around him, which then blew up, swallowing him with yet another explosion. Lily cried out in pain inside the explosion. Mest and Carla who were watching from the side have been blown away by the wind pressure.

After a short while the dust has gone down, revealing injured Pantherlily/ Although he managed to put up his guard at the last possible moment, he still received heavy damage, his forehead split and bleeding, as well as many cuts and burns all over his body. _Damn it. If only I had a sword…_

"Oh? You can still stand?" questioned impressed Azuma and pointed at the cat with his hand once again. Lily grit his teeth and spread out his wings, flying up into the air just in time to avoid another explosion, with the ground beneath his feet blowing up into pieces.

"Mest, you fight too!" shouted Carla.

The man looked at her like she was insane. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm a member of the Council!"

"That doesn't matter right now!"

"I came here to destroy your guild in order to get a promotion, don't you understand it?! Why would I help you?!"

"Because even if you run away from here, you will still get killed once he's done with us! If you stay and help us, we still have a chance! He blew up your friends, right? Does that mean nothing to you?!"

Carla's words stung Mest deeply. Although it belonged to a different unit, he still had people he knew onboard. And they were more than likely gone now. The sheer thought ignited flames of anger he hasn't felt in years.

In the meantime, Pantherlily ducked right under a long chain of explosions, one of them catching the fur of his ear. He flew into the sky, another chain following him. He danced in the air before diving down, with yet another explosions flying in his direction. This time he had no means of dodging, and blocked it with his already injured arms.

"No matter where you go, my explosions will still reach you." proclaimed Azuma.

Fed up with the man, Lily grit his teeth in anger and dived down at Azuma in a straight line. Cursing his opponent's foolishness, the Kin released another **Bleve**. Lily let it come close to him, and using every bit of agility he had in him, he maneuvered out of the way and moved to his right, the attack passing him by. He then resumed his charge, his right fist readied to strike.

In the meantime, Mest teleported directly behind Azuma with a knife in his hand. _He's surrounded. It's over!_

"Pathetic." scoffed Azuma.

 _ **TOWER BURST!**_

A giant tower of fire erupted from beneath Azuma, taking both Mest and Lily in, with Carla being struck by the wind pressure as well. The entire cliff has been blown up, with the tower flying high into the sky and expanding with each second.

Natsu, who was nearby, stared at the pillar with narrowed eyes, his instincts kicking in.

"Tower of flames? No one in the guild uses magic like that." pointed out Wendy from behind him.

More than certain that it was caused by an enemy, Natsu reached out to Wendy and grabbed her hand, before dragging her back into the jungle, as they both rushed to the cliff.

In the meantime, Azuma looked down at the aftermath of his spell, with downed Mest and Lily lying right by hiss feet. The Exceed tried to stand up, only to fall out of his battle form and plop back onto the soil. Carla has been blown aside, completely unconscious.

 _So this is one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory that the rumors spoke of…_ wondered Mest, a black curtain forming before his eyes.

"Is this guild made out of cats and spies? What a waste of time." questioned Azuma in disappointment, before walking away for a bit. He then turned back around, his figure now facing the Tenrou Tree. "If that is the truth, then I will deal with you all before the rest of the guild comes here. There may be no need for it, but I shall give the signal, just as how I was instructed to."

"S-signal? What signal?" asked him weakly Pantherlily.

"You can't miss it."

Azuma spread his arms out and then quickly clapped his hands. As soon as he did it, the whole island has started to shake, with a deafening, painful sound echoing throughout the island. The Exceed was forced to block his ears in pain, his eyes closed shut. Still, despite the pain, he slowly opened them, before feeling them widen in complete terror.

The Tenrou Tree has been blown up at the very base, pieces of its trunk flying in all directions, plunging themselves into the ground, ocean and rocks. A giant cloud of dust and smoke started to form around the blown up area, as the tree has started to slowly tilt to its right, falling.

Everyone on the island could not muster a single sound at the sight, as they all stared in shock and horror.

"What have you done?!" roared Lily.

"The Tenrou Tree provides those with the mark of Fairy Tail with divine protection and a boost in magic power. No one with your guild's mark can die on this island, as long as this tree is intact. I have destroyed this tree, thus taking your protection away. You have also lost your magic boosts, meaning everyone present on this island has been weakened. I have been setting this up long before your arrival on the island." explained Azuma. He then turned on the balls of his feet and simply walked away, leaving his opponents behind to die from their wounds. His mind was now focused on finding someone stronger to battle with.

 _There are...six more people like him?_ panicked Mest, as the sound of the falling tree filled every fiber of his being. _Fairy Tail has….no chance of winning…_ he concluded before losing consciousness.

* * *

 **Grimoire Heart's ship**

Ultear walked out of her chamber and stretched, now clad in her usual battle uniform. She entered the main room of the ship, where everyone has already been assembled. At her sight, Zancrow raised his eyebrows and whistled, impressed.

"Damn Miss Ultear, you're unusually pumped up about this, aren't you?" he asked her with a smirk.

"I appreciate your compliment, Zancrow, but I don't think now is the time for this." she smirked in response.

"In his defense, I, too, think like this. To me, this is war. The sensation of excitement is only natural." said Caprico from the side.

"That's not what you said last time, though." remarked Zancrow.

"Opinions change."

"It's not really an opinion."

"I understand your feelings very well, my comrades." threw in Rustyrose while adjusting his glasses. "The sensation of the upcoming battle with the fairies provides me with the most stimulating sensation, that I am unable to describe with human vocabulary. Let us all head to the Eden known as battle! Let us fulfill our inner desires!"

"You're being creepy, man." noted Zancrow.

Meredy, who was ignoring the bickering of her male guildmates looked out the main window and beamed. "Ur, look!" she announced happily, as she pointed at the window in excitement. "I can see something!"

Ultear quickly snapped her gaze at the girl. "Do not call me by this name." she whispered coldly. Although it was rid of anger, the cold left by this warning was just enough to make the girl curl up, her smile gone.

"I'm sorry." she apologized quietly.

Zancrow laughed and walked up to the girl, before patting her on the head. "Now, no need to be so scary, Miss. So, Meredy. What did you see?" he asked her in a curious tone.

Meredy recovered a bit of her smile and pointed once again. "There! I can see the island!"

The man looked out the window, and so did the other Kin. Just like she said, Tenrou Island was now in full view. The Tenrou Tree has been already falling down, a sight that suggested the island was ready to start the operation.

"So, Azuma did it after all, eh?" Zancrow licked his lips in sinister fashion.

Despite their eagerness to crush Fairy Tail, and although they came here to leave it in flames, they would lie if they said they didn't find the island fascinating. Some of them even regretted destroying the tree, which they considered to be simply beautiful. However, they did not get to admire it for too long.

Something has started to raise up from the ocean, with a giant figure resembling a human growing with each second. The Kin could only stare in shock at the sight of a giant elderly man with a white mustache standing in front of the island, like a guardian protecting its fortress, as he stared the ship down from above. Even Hades was surprised.

"A giant..." muttered Ultear in disbelief.

"Are you serious?" Zancrow grinned nervously. "I haven't heard anything about this!"

"It's huge." pointed out Meredy.

Hades recovered from his shock, now with a small smirk forming on his lips. "Makarov."

Makarov breathed in, his enlarged mouth making a deafening noise. "Your sin is far too serious to be left unanswered! All of you shall disappear by my hand!" he roared in pure rage, his voice creating waves on the surface of the ocean.

Not intimidated in the slightest, Hades continued to smirk, taking in the sight of the man standing before him.

Seeing that they were not eager to comply to his order, Makarov punched the ship, shattering it into tiny pieces in the process. Everyone inside the ship has lost balance, some people even fell out due to holes in the armor.

"The steering is dead!" called one of the crew.

"He's pierced through our enhanced armor like it was paper! I can't believe this!" yelled other member.

"Increase speed!" ordered Hades.

The ship sped up and managed to dodge a second punch just in time, the wind currents created by the strike pushing it even further away.

"Deploy magical convergence cannon, Jupiter!" Hades gave another order from his throne.

The cannon slid out of the roof of the ship, now aimed at Makarov. "Fire!" shouted Hades, as it launched itself at the giant.

Makarov raised his left arm, blocking the beam with his left forearm, which earned him an impressed sound from Hades. Feeling himself being pushed back, he grit his teeth and raised his left leg up, kicking the ship from beneath, this time killing its engines for good.

"Ultear!" called out Hades, his voice expressing a small glimpse of worry.

"Yes, Master!" The woman kneeled and touched the floor with her hand.

 _ **ARC OF TIME: RESTORE!**_

The ship has started to put itself back together, regaining its original shape in mere seconds. Makarov stared at the repairs in awe, but quickly brushed it off, ready to strike again.

"Caprico, take everyone on board to the island." ordered the Master.

"What about you, Master Hades?" questioned the goat.

"I shall deal with Makarov myself."

"As you wish."

Caprico bowed and straightened himself up, before clapping his hands. Everyone on the ship has vanished in an instance. He then put on his jetpack and flew out of the ship, heading towards the island.

Makarov, who caught the small figure flying past him clenched his fist. "Do you think you will escape from me?" he asked and reached out for the goat, only to be avoided with ease. "Well, no matter. There is no escape for you lot anyway."

He shifted his attention back to the ship and put his hands in front of each other, a green orb forming in-between them. "By Fairy Tail's ordinance, I shall give you all a moment to pray, while I count to three."

Hades stood up from his throne and walked up to the pedestal, the roof above his head opening slowly. "A mage has to be prepared to acknowledge his target as an absolute enemy to cast this spell, the ultimate magic. Fairy Law, is it not?" he questioned, as he rose up with the platform.

"One."

"When exactly did you learn such powerful magic, Makarov?"

Annoyed with the familiar tone used by the dark mage, a vein appeared on Makarov's forehead. "Two."

Natsu and Wendy have finally emerged from the trees and rushed to the scene, taking the sight of their downed friends in.

"Carla! Hang in there!" called out Wendy and ran up to her friend, gently picking her up onto her lap. The tabby slowly opened her eyes, glad that the girl was still safe. "Wendy..."

"Don't talk, I'll heal you right away!"

In the meantime, Natsu walked up to Mest and eyed him down. "You the one who did it?" he questioned. He then took his sorry state in, and realised how stupid this question was. "Guess not. Who the hell are you?"

Mest stirred and looked up into the Dragon Slayer's eyes. _I see...my magic has worn off…_

"What happened here? Answer me."

Before Mest could respond, Carla has raised her head and replied the question for him. "Grimoire Heart...is on the island."

Natsu's eyes widened in shock. "What are they doing here?"

"One of them has blown up the tree. He said they came here to destroy us." added weakly Lily from the ground. Natsu quickly ran up to him and gently picked him up, before placing him next to Carla. The girl spread her arms out and started to heal them both at the same time.

Unbeknownst to all of them, Caprico was flying above their heads on his jetpack. Deciding that the time was ripe, he spread his arms out, dozens of small, white balls starting to fall onto the island.

Lucy looked up curiously, one of the balls falling directly at her. Suddenly, it popped, revealing a young male, who swung his club at the blonde, forcing her to jump back to avoid a critical hit.

Multiple people landed around Lucy, Loke, Gray and Cana, confusing them greatly.

"People are falling from the sky?!" gasped Cana.

"Enemies, I presume." noted Loke and put up his guard.

"Wait a second..." began Gray and stared with wide eyes into the sky. "Those are all people?!"

The sky above was now covered by the bubbles, with people popping out of them everywhere, the number of enemies standing before them increasing with each second. Gray's group wasn't the only one – every Fairy Tail mage has now found themselves surrounded by enemies, all of them dosing Grimoire Heart's guild mark.

The Kin have also landed on the island, each of them heading in the direction of their choosing. Zancrow landed with an excited scream and sighed, unable to contain his excitement.

Ultear has gracefully landed on her feet and started her search for Zeref.

Meredy landed not too far from Zancrow, and carefully observed the area. "Mission, begin!" she muttered to herself, before dashing into the wild.

On the other end of the island, Zeref looked up into the sky with pained eyes. "Another war is about to begin. Is there really no other way?" he questioned no one in particular.

* * *

"Three! Your time is up!"

Makarov clapped his hands, green, blinding light emitting from his hands.

"Fairy Law! Acti-"

"Stop it."

Hades interrupted the spell and raised his hands in similar fashion, a dark-blue orb forming in-between his hands. Makarov's eyes widened in shock at the resemblance of the spell – it looked like a re-colored Fairy Law.

"Grimoire Law!" announced Hades. "This magic is deterrent. I can't just launch it whenever I want to. However, if you refuse to stand down obediently, you shall witness the most grim of conclusions."

Makarov dispelled his magic, too shocked to go through with the attack. "This is...impossible..." he gasped, memories of 48 years ago flashing before his eyes like a film.

Hades canceled his magic and smirked gently. "It's been a while, boy."

"Master Precht!" announced shocked Makarov. "Why are you..."

Before he could ask the question, Hades conjured two giant chains with claws and attached them to Makarov's shoulders. He then pulled them to his right, knocking Makarov off balance. The giant fell into the water and slid on the ground, now entering the terrain of the island. He reversed back to his true form and Requipped his signature coat with the insignia of Ten Wizard Saints on his back, as he slid on the ground. He then came to a halt and glared at his predecessor, who was now casually walking up to him.

"Why are you of all people in a dark guild?" questioned Makarov.

"Aren't we just two sides of the same coin, Makarov?" replied Hades. "This world is full of things that cannot be described with merely the definitions of good or evil."

"Good or evil have nothing to do with this. The spirit of Fairy Tail that you have carried for decades should never have wavered. "

Hades snorted in amusement. "Looks like you've learned how to use words, boy."

"Enough with the boy." scoffed Makarov. "You are no longer a member of this guild. However, I do not wish to fight you. Could you please leave this island?"

Hades' smirk faded, now giving in to a small, saddened frown. "Although my heart pains me a little at the thought, I must see the destruction of Fairy Tail through with my own hand. I'm afraid I cannot leave until Fairy Tail is no more."

This declaration was enough. Makarov unleashed his magic power, his body now surrounded by a green aura. "I will not give you my guild." he declared in a low voice.

Hades scoffed and released his own, a dark-purple aura surrounding his figure. "So, you're going to defy me after all, boy?"

After a long while of building up their magic, both men mirrored each other's movements, both of them launching the exact same spell at the same time. Multiple thunders crashed into each other above their heads, neither gaining the upper hand.

Seeing that stalemate was the best result he could achieve, Makarov extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand and pointed them at Hades, a dragon made out of earth growing from beneath the soil behind him. It charged at Hades, who took his lightning back and reshaped it into a dragon, matching Makarov's design. The lightning dragon turned out to be superior, with Makarov's attack getting obliterated.

Using the flying pieces of the ground as cover, Makarov quickly ran in a circle around Hades, who carefully watched him, curious of what he was about to cook up.

Fairy Tail's Master stopped running and clapped his hands, a giant magic circle forming beneath Hades' feet.

Having recognized the magic, Hades whistled gently, impressed by his opponent's knowledge of magic. "Oh?" hummed the dark mage. "Trying to seal me away, are we? Impressive, but foolish nonetheless." he smirked and put his hand on the seal, canceling it out with relative ease.

"You think so?" questioned Makarov.

Hades' eyes widened in small surprise as he looked up, only to see a giant ball of light descending onto him faster than he'd want it to. The previous Master of Fairy Tail was swallowed by the light, a giant explosion erupting where he stood. Makarov panted lightly and set his hands apart, awaiting the results.

"Using light against a demon is foolish, Makarov."

The elder felt his eyes widen at the sight of Hades keeping up a shield of dark-blue energy, that has been continuously absorbing the light. However, the man did not come out of this unscathed – his attire was torn in several pieces, and a small burn was present on his forehead.

The barrier changed into a giant ball of energy, which launched itself at Makarov, who jumped back just in time to avoid it.

The tiny mage put his hands together in order to channel another spell, but he was interrupted by Hades, who drew the infinity sign in the air with his index and middle fingers, surrounding Makarov in two golden, circling magic circles.

"Amaterasu's 28th formula...in an instance?!" gasped shocked Makarov.

"You cannot defeat me." declared Hades and swiped his fingers to the side.

Shortly after he was taken in by an explosion of purple magic, that formed itself into a shape of a pillar, with everything inside of it being obliterated. Makarov put up a round barrier and forcefully expanded it to the sides, breaking the spell in the process.

In response to that, Hades conjured his chains and launched them at Makarov, who turned his right arm into a sword of light and knocked them to the side in return. Using the momentary opening, he pointed his left hand at the older man and created a sharpened pillar of ice, which was then launched at Hades.

Hades did not even move from his spot, with the pillar breaking into pieces before it could even make contact with his chest. Unwilling to give up just yet, Makarov knocked the chains away once more and put his hands on the ground, a chain of earth spikes forming in Hades' direction, all of them pointed at him. The dark mage turned his left hand into a magic sword, just like Makarov, and sliced the spikes in half, killing them before they reached him. He then spotted his opponent, who leaped at him in the air and swung his blade downwards. Hades was forced to raise his hand and block the strike, before pushing Makarov back. The tiny mage slid on the ground and dispelled his blade, ready to attack once again.

Not willing to let that happen, Hades snapped his hand to the right and successfully caught Makarov with his chains, before throwing him to the side and dragging him against the trees and rocks.

"I dance with magic! Freely!" announced amused dark mage and smashed Makarov into the ground, breaking it in the process. To his surprise, the tiny mage was standing on his feet, with his guard put up.

Hades used his free hand to draw another sign in the air, this time surrounding Makarov with multiple purple magic circles. The sight froze the elder's blood, fear starting to take control over his body. "What is this?!" he questioned, before crossing his hands on his head and torso.

 _ **MAXIMUM DEFENSE SEAL: THREE PILLAR GODS!**_

 _ **AMATERASU: 100TH FORMULA!**_

A giant explosion of purple energy shook the entire island down to its core, a vast chunk of the forest getting destroyed in the process. Trees and rocks flew in all directions throughout the island, startling the wildlife and knocking people off balance.

Everyone currently fighting on the island took a short break from their battles, astonished by the amount of magic power they felt. Erza kicked her opponent to the ground and looked in the explosion's direction. "Master..."

Hades carefully watched the aftermath of his attack, his eyes slowly widening at the sight of Makarov still standing in his spot. His clothes were torn up and he was bleeding from several wounds placed all over his body, majority of them on his hands, but other than that, he was still in one piece, a feat almost impossible to achieve after being hit by the 100th Formula.

"Your choice and timing of spells is truly remarkable, my old friend." praised Hades. "As expected from the man I had entrusted my hopes to. You did well supporting the guild for the past 48 years."

Just when he was about to reply, Makarov felt excruciating pain in his chest, as he grabbed it, struggling for breath.

"Oh? Is something wrong, Makarov? Do you not feel well?" taunted him Hades, as he walked up to his opponent.

Makarov stared at Hades with hateful eyes, his breath uneven.

"I guess it is to be expected. We have both grown old, haven't we? This is also the difference between two men, who've taken different paths. You stayed on the path sculptured by Mavis, and you are about to die by my hand. I, on the other hand, have found a new one, and I shall see the changes that shall befall onto this world in near future."

Makarov panted heavily and dropped to his knee. "You were...an admirable Master. You taught us about the harmony of the world, you've shown us the right path. What happened to you? What could possibly cause this drastic change?" he questioned, now back on his feet.

Hades' eyes narrowed. He raised his hand and increased the gravity above Makarov's figure, brutally grinding him into the ground. The tiny Master gasped from pain, blood escaping his mouth.

"Magic was originally born in darkness." explained Hades. "A power once feared and detested by humans. However, years later, gradually, magic has become an everyday phenomenon, to the point where taking it away could cause the entire human culture to crumble. After tracking down the very roots of magic, as well as going through Zeref's research, I have seen what can be called the "essence of magic". This, my old friend, is what changed my views."

Realising that Makarov was no longer conscious, Hades turned around on the balls of his feet. "Sleep well, Makarov. Fairy Tail's era has come to an end." he announced, before walking away from his defeated, broken opponent, a weird, long forgotten sensation dwelling on his heart.

* * *

Natsu grabbed one of the mages by the neck and threw him at a group of others, knocking them all down. He then sidestepped to his left to avoid a charging spearman and kicked him in lower back, incapacitating him. Right behind him was Wendy, who continued to heal the Exceeds. Mest was already long gone, having teleported somewhere right before Grimoire Heart invaded the island.

"I'm sorry...I would fight, too, but my magic power..." Pantherlily apologized to Natsu.

"Don't worry about it, there's no helping about it. Wendy can't restore even her own magic." Carla tried to cheer him up.

Natsu knocked out yet another dark mage and sent a short look at the cat. "Don't worry about it, just focus on recovering. I can handle it." he assured while grinding yet another mage into the ground with his right leg.

Tired of being beaten up, the mages grouped up on Natsu and swarmed him in a group. He cracked his neck and allowed them all to swarm him, before starting to knock them out one by one. He continued to dodge and attack at the same time, making it impossible to hit him.

With yet another man falling to the ground in defeat, four of them stood in a formation and summoned a giant fireball, before sending it in Natsu's direction. The Dragon Slayer simply smirked and blocked it with one hand, before starting to suck the flames in with his mouth.

"He's eating flames?!"

"This guy's a monster!"

"Wait a second...fire magic, dark clothes..."

"Salamander?!"

As the men panicked upon learning of Natsu's identity, the Dragon Slayer extended his left arm to the side, his flames forming around it.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!_**

With just left arm alone, Natsu knocked all of Grimoire Heart's mages down in one sweep, his flames blowing up upon impact.

"Monster..." muttered the downed mages.

Suddenly, someone laughed from a cliff above them, with a young man with long, blond spiky hair standing on the edge, a grin glued to his face. "That's enough, you lot! Enough, I said!" he yelled.

"Master Zancrow!" gasped one of the mages in relief, the others starting to feel safer as well. They slowly stood up from the ground, unwilling to stay down in front of one of their commanders.

"You guys are clearly no match for him." deduced Zancrow with a smirk. "Go and look for Zeref. I'm more than enough to take care of this guy."

The men nodded eagerly and started to leave the scene. "I was starting to think he might be too strong for us, but with Master Zancrow here, nothing bad can happen!"

Zancrow's eyes narrowed dangerously, his smile gone. "Hey. What did you just say?" he asked quietly, sending chills down his guildmates' back.

"I...I said I thought he could be too strong for us...the infantry!"

"There is no one stronger than Grimoire Heart in this entire world. We are the strongest guild there is." said Zancrow, black flames forming in his right hand. "If this guy here is too much for you, then you are not fit to be in our guild. We do not need trash like you!" he roared with a smile and set his comrades aflame.

The men screamed in agony, as the black flames burned them alive. They fell to the ground one by one, dead, their corpses slowly turning into ash.

Wendy grasped her mouth in horror, the horrible smell filling her nostrils. Unable to fight it back, she leaned to the side and threw up, with the last screams dying down as she did so.

"This man...his own allies..." gasped shocked Carla.

Zancrow licked his lips and took a loud sniff of the air, the smell filling his nose. He sighed in bliss, his eyes half-closed. "I just can't get enough of this smell. The sensation it gives me..." he trembled in joy, before looking down at Natsu. "I envy you, with that enhanced nose of yours and all. You must feel the same way, don't you, Salamander?" he asked with a sinister smirk.

Natsu did not reply anything. Instead, he continued to stare at the burning corpses, the same stoic expression he had for the past few minutes still glued to his face.

Zancrow's smile faded. "Not the reaction I was hoping for, to be honest. Say something, will ya?" he called to the Dragon Slayer.

Natsu has finally taken his eyes off the corpses, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Am I supposed to thank you for making my job easier?" he questioned, his voice low and rid of emotions.

Wendy looked at her partner, shocked. There it was again. It's happened at least once before, but this was the first time she was genuinely scared of Natsu. Not of his lack of compassion, or care, but his sudden shift in personality. At times, it felt like he was a different man.

Zancrow's eyes narrowed dangerously, He jumped down from his spot and started to walk towards Natsu, who returned the favor by closing the gap himself. "Have to say, I'm not exactly fond of your tone, wannabe Dragon Slayer. Don't get cocky, trash." hissed Zancrow.

Both men stopped, with only mere meters between them.

Carla, who was more or less fine now, carefully walked up behind Wendy and grabbed her by her dress, before lifting her off the air. Taking the hint, Lily spread out his wings best to his ability and flew away as well.

"Carla! What are you-" Wendy tried to protest.

"We have to get away. This is going to get ugly." explained the tabby.

Zancrow stared Natsu down, with the Slayer doing the same. "What do you go by now, Salamander?" asked the blonde.

"Natsu of Fairy Tail."

Zancrow smirked in amusement. "I see. I'm Zancrow, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Not even a second later, the Kin tried to hit Natsu with a nasty right hook, however, his plans fell short. Natsu struck first, and quickly stepped in, dodging the punch, at the same time landing a powerful right straight that sent the blonde flying backwards. Zancrow fell onto his back, his limbs spread out to the sides.

"I'm getting sick and tired of number seven." growled Natsu, his flames flowing with the wind.

* * *

 **Fairy Tail's Camp**

Mirajane kicked away the last of her enemies, with Lisanna putting hers down after choking him out. Before she could take a breath, however, she felt strong presence behind her. She quickly grabbed her sister and guarded her with her figure, with a man with brown hair approaching them from behind the trees.

"My luck is truly against me." he sighed. "First cats, now women?"

Mira tensed up after feeling his magic. He was no pushover. "Why don't you try your luck, prick?" she asked him, annoyed by his approach. "Are you the one who blew up the tree?"

Azuma exhaled through his nose and raised his right arm, aiming it at the women. "Perhaps. But don't worry, I will not treat you the same way. I'll try to make it as painless as possible."

* * *

On the shore of Tenrou Island, Hades plunged the flag of Grimoire Heart deep into the sand.

"Your brats have no chance of winning against my Seven Kin of Purgatory, Makarov." he declared. "All of them are great mages I have raised myself for years. Each and every single one of them uses the magic that is closest to the source of all magic." He then looked into the horizon. "Lost Magic is at their disposal. Nothing will stand in the way of their forbidden arts."

Hades turned around and walked back to his ship, the sounds of battles spread out across the entire island falling into his ears.

It was the beginning of the end. The war has begun.

 **End of Chapter 22. To be continued in Chapter 23: Fire Dragon vs Flame God**

* * *

 **5 manga chapters are in this thing. Huh.**

 **Normally, I'd explain Natsu's behavior at the end, but not this time. I'll that to you guys :)**

 **Next chapter will be dedicated entirely to combat, and this is the chapter where you'll see clear changes from the manga. I mean, this one had them as well, but the coming ones will be much clearer to notice. I will say only one thing - expect the unexpected.  
**

 **I hope you liked it and see you next time!**


	24. Fire Dragon vs Flame God

**Please read the Author's Note at the end of the Chapter. Thank you.**

* * *

Natsu continued to stare at his downed opponent, the flames in his right fist still burning fiercely. Zancrow was not moving an inch, as if someone cut off the strings to his limbs and threw him aside.

"Is it...over?" questioned confused Wendy. She did not expect it to end this easily.

Suddenly, Zancrow gasped and started to laugh, before raising his legs behind his head and jumping straight back to his feet, his face completely rid of any damage. "This kind of flames doesn't even hurt." he chuckled.

Natsu's eyes widened a little at the sight.

"Did he get hit on purpose?" asked Carla.

"No, he was completely outclassed just now. This must be the work of his magic." deduced Pantherlily.

"Now then, Salamander. Why don't we start o-"

Before he could finish, Natsu dashed forward and punched him straight in the jaw, before following up with a left uppercut to the gut. He then grabbed the Kin by the hair and pulled his head down onto his incoming knee, hitting him straight in the nose. Zancrow's head flew upwards, making an opening for the Dragon Slayer, who threw a right hook to his open jaw.

His fist was, however, caught. Zancrow squeezed Natsu's hand, his black flames covering the red flames, as he grinned widely, his face still not damaged. "I've already told you. These don't hurt!" he laughed and struck Natsu with a right straight, before kicking him in the stomach.

Natsu slid on the balls of his feet, while Zancrow raised his right hand, before launching a ball of flames in his direction. Although he'd usually just swallow it, after the last punch he knew something was off about these flames. Natsu ducked right underneath the ball and dashed at Zancrow, who responded by doing the same. Both men clashed into each other with their left forearms, a short power struggle starting between the two of them. After couple seconds of fruitless pushing, they switched back to fists, a rapid exchange of punches and kicks erupting where they stood.

With each blocked punch, Natsu's hunch was getting deeper and deeper, and when they both hit each other at the same time with their rights, and he felt blood starting to flow down his chin from his cut and burned lip, he finally realised, that this was not an ordinary mage standing before him.

Both men slid backwards, with Natsu being burned, while Zancrow remained uninjured.

"Natsu got...burned? How is this possible?" gasped Wendy.

The older Dragon Slayer wiped the blood off with his thumb and smeared it in-between his fingers, staring at the crimson liquid in light shock.

"Are you finally realising the situation you are in, Salamander?" cackled Zancrow. "Did you really think a dragon could defeat a God?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"Dragons may have been the strongest creatures in the world, I can't deny that. But there is someone above them, someone you can never hope to reach." explained the Kin. "You hunt dragons right? I, on the other hand, hunt Gods."

Zancrow spread his hands to the sides and straightened himself up. "I have yet to give you my full name. One of the Seven Kin Of Purgatory, God Slayer – Zancrow."

"God Slayer?!" repeated shocked Carla. "A different type of Slayer magic?"

"I've never heard about it." admitted Wendy.

"God Slayer, huh?" questioned Natsu, but he was also shocked. "Well, I'm a Dragon Slayer."

"I know that already!" laughed Zancrow. "Your actions are well known in the Baram Alliance!"

"Baram Alliance?" asked Lily.

"An alliance between dark guild, ran by Oracion Seiss, Seven Commandments, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros." explained quickly Carla.

"Cornering Seven Commandments, defeating Fairy Tail, destroying R-System." counted Zancrow on his fingers. He then smirked in a sinister fashion and looked the Dragon Slayer deep in the eyes. "Grigol? Silva?! You've defeated a couple of nobodies, and now you think you're all that great? Don't get too cocky, trash!"

"You just love talking, don't you?" growled Natsu, the temperature around him increasing with each second. Whatever it was Zancrow was doing, it was working.

"By the way..." continued the Kin, not phased by Natsu's dangerous aura. "I've heard a certain rumor about you that I've wanted to confirm."

It was an instant. In less than a second, Natsu knew exactly what he was about to ask, and his body reacted accordingly. As if trying to protect Wendy and the others from hearing it, as well as himself, Natsu kicked the ground as hard as he could in his current state and struck Zancrow in the face, shutting him up. The God Slayer shook it off and grinned, before replying with a punch of his own, which was dodged.

Natsu used this opening to throw a hook into Zancrow's liver, but the Kin stepped back just in time to avoid it. Natsu quickly closed the gap and was then forced to duck underneath a left straight thrown at his face. From underneath the extended arm, he twisted his torso to his right and delivered a devastating uppercut that blew Zancrow's head upwards. He then put his left hand on his chest and squeezed his wrist with his right one.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP ATTACK!**_

Zancrow was blown away by the flames, however he received little to no damage from the blast. Slightly irritated by the attempt, he raised his arms and raised his right hand above his left, a ball of black flames forming in-between them.

"If you burn down the West, and you burn down the East...God's wrath..." he chanted.

Recognizing the attack, Natsu stopped his charge and joined his hands before his torso. "When you combine the flames of the right hand and the left hand together…"

Almost as if by instinct, both Exceeds flew up as high as they could to avoid the incoming devastation that was about to happen. Both Slayers put their hands in front of their bodies, their attacks ready to be launched.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!**_

 _ **FIRE GOD'S KAGUTSUCHI!**_

Red flamed and black flames met together at one point, resulting in an enormous explosion of fire, that consumed the land and surroinding area in an instant. The heat radiating from the collision was so great, Wendy and the others almost passed out in an instant. The air became so hot it was almost impossible to breathe, with both men pushing with everything they had.

After finally flying away to a safe distance, Wendy slowly opened her eyes, only to feel them widen in shock a second later, with the sight of Natsu's red flames being overpowered by the black wave of death. With a mad laugh, Zancrow pushed even harder and bested the Dragon Slayer, swallowing him with his magic.

"Natsu!" Wendy called out to her partner, but the cats held her back.

"You can't go there! You'll die if they as much as touch you!" Carla tried to reason with her. "He'll be fine! Fire can't hurt him, right?"

"But I've got a horrible feeling about these flames!"

The flames have finally settled down, revealing a steaming and downed Natsu, who was now on his knees, his eyes wide and shocked.

"That reaction just now..." Zancrow started to taunt his opponent yet again. "I guess the rumors are true, Salamander. You really were a slave."

Natsu's breath got stuck in his throat, as his whole body tensed up.

"Did I hear him right?" questioned Carla, also stunned.

"I...I didn't know that." admitted grimly Wendy. _So this is why…_

"As cruel as that sounds, there's more to it." Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he glared at the God Slayer.

"What do you mean?" asked him Carla.

"He's trying to provoke him into something. From the very beginning, he's been throwing nothing but taunts and insults. I don't think this man is simply stupid, there's more to it."

"You know, I used to respect you at some point, believe it or not." continued Zancrow. "But when I've learned about that, and that you joined Fairy Tail..." he spat onto the ground. "You've become worth less than that."

Natsu stood up, his bangs casting shadows onto his eyes, his fists clenched tightly. Sensing danger, Carla gripped Wendy's dress tighter and flew away even more. Although she has yet to truly see Salamander in action, the rumors were enough for her. "We have to get away from here, before he-"

"No." Wendy interrupted her, and looked at her partner with confidence. "Nothing bad will happen. He's not like that anymore."

As soon as she said that, Natsu raised his head. His eyes were burning with silent anger, but other than that, he was in control. "Is that all you've wanted to say?"

Zancrow was thrown off by these words. Feeling slightly irritated that he's yet to force out a proper reaction out of the Dragon Slayer, he started to walk in his direction, his fists ignited.

Natsu replied by doing the same, and both Slayers met yet again, before striking at each other with their right fists. Their attacks clashed, creating a shockwave and sparks of flames that spilled all over the area. They've engaged each other in an exchange once again, both of their auras merging into a ball of red and black flames.

Zancrow struck Natsu with a nasty left hook, who slid his face off the fist to reduce the damage and replied with a left upper to the gut. Zancrow blocked it with his right forearm and leaned his head back, with Natsu doing the same. Both Slayers slammed their head against each other, before taking a hold of their hands, their fingers intertwined. They once again struggled to overpower each other.

The ground beneath their feet started to sink in from both the heat and raw strength of both Slayers. Although Natsu had the edge in raw power, the pain that kept increasing in his palms was holding him back, causing him to slowly lose it.

"It just doesn't add up." muttered Lily to himself while he watched the battle.

Carla blinked and looked at him. "What doesn't?"

"I may not be experienced in terms of Earthland's magic and rules." began the Exceed. "But from what I can get from watching this, Natsu has the advantage in terms of magic power, as well as skill. And yet, he's being pushed back."

Feeling that his hands will not be able to take any more punishment, Natsu kicked Zancrow under the chin and used yet another **Grip Attack** to push him away. He then jumped back to make some distance and puffed his chest out.

Zancrow massaged his chin and watched the Dragon Slayer with a smirk. "Have you ever heard where fire came from?" he asked him.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

A torrent of purging fire came out of Natsu's mouth, devouring everything on its path to Zancrow in a matter of seconds. The God Slayer simply watched it approach him, not scared one bit.

"It was the gods who gave people flames. Not dragons, nor humans. It was gods."

Zancrow was consumed by the flames, which expanded upon impact, trapping him in a large ball of red carnage. Natsu breathed out, slightly tired, and watched is opponent with great attention. To his shock, as well as confirming his fears, he watched his own flames being sucked in with a familiar sound and fashion. Zancrow was standing in the middle of the flames, unharmed, as he devoured the Roar like a snack.

"This can't be..." gasped Wendy in despair.

With one final slurp, Zancrow swallowed the last bit of Natsu's flames and gasped in joy. "Man, those are some good flames." he complimented. "Ready to devour and obliterate everything on their path...I guess dragon flames are worth something, after all."

"Well, they are designed to kill them, after all. A dragon taught me how to use them." explained Natsu. Although it sounded like he was having a nice chat with his enemy, in reality, he was trying to come up with a strategy. He couldn't use his other element. He also couldn't continue to drag this out forever – at this point he was simply feeding the Kin for free.

"Even if they do have the strength to kill a dragon." Zancrow licked his lips and clapped his hands in front of his chest. "They can never kill a god."

Zancrow's magic power increased, courtesy of his recent meal. A black aura of flames surrounded his body, which then started to form into many hands hidden behind his back.

Natsu bent his knees and awaited the attack, his eyes now focused on the creations.

Zancrow grinned and struck with one of his hands, which was dodged by Natsu. He then attacked with another one, followed by third. The Dragon Slayer dodged the second one, but was forced to block the third one. Zancrow then started to attack with more of them, increasing the speed with each punch.

After hitting Natsu with two punches at the same time, he stopped. He took a deep breath and grinned widely, a psychotic glimpse appearing in his eyes.

 _ **SECRET GOD SLAYER'S ARTS: 100 HANDS!**_

All of Zancrow's creations launched themselves at Natsu, bombarding him with a rain of flaming punches. The Dragon Slayer was forced to strain his body to its absolute limits, blocking and dodging his only options. With no opening for a counterattack, he simply put up his guard and waved his body to dodge as many strikes as possible, each of them burning him after landing.

Natsu felt stinging, itching pain near his liver after one hand bypassed his guard. Zancrow then used this chance to catch him with a barrage that found its way to his face, chest and stomach.

"This is Grimoire Heart's magic!" Zancrow laughed maniacally.

After being nailed by a nasty hook on his jaw, Natsu was pushed back, and Zancrow retracted his flames, before releasing them back into a black, flaming cloak, that wrapped itself around his figure.

Natsu raised his head, blood dripping onto the ground from his cut lip and forehead.

"He's losing..." announced grimly Carla.

"Normally, he would have eaten this attack. And yet..." whimpered Wendy.

"It may be possible, that God Slaying magic is superior to Dragon Slaying magic by nature. Gajeel told me, that magic has its own laws. You could lose to someone way weaker than you, as long as their magic successfully counters yours. I think this might be the case here." anaised Pantherlily.

In the meantime, the God Slayer canceled out his flames and started to walk in Natsu's direction with a grin on his face.

"You may have been taught this magic by a dragon, but I'm beyond that." he mocked. "You've got no hopes of beating me, slave."

Natsu tried his best to ignore the taunts and wiped his burned lips with his sleeve. "Are you saying you've learned this magic from a god?"

"Considering Master Hades was the one to teach me this magic, yes, you could say that I was taught by a God."

Natsu exhaled loudly through his nose. "I see." he muttered. He then moved his mouth around and spat some blood out. "In that case he must be quite a puny god, then."

Zancrow's smile faded, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Huh?!"

* * *

Mirajane and Lisanna fell onto the ground after being blown away yet again. Azuma swiped his right arm to the side and cleared the smoke, a disappointed frown on his face.

"Am I really going to spend my time here finishing weaklings?" he questioned.

Fed up with his attitude, Lisanna clenched her fists on the ground, her palms gathering some stones and leaves in the process. "Mock us while you still can!" she snapped. "Mira, you can do this! We can do this, let's defeat him together!"

Mirajane, still in her human form, stood up and shook her head gently, her eyes focused on her opponent. "My magic power is still lacking. Although I didn't use much during the exam itself, tapping into my magic drains me heavily. For the cost of barely any magic consumption while staying in it, this form takes a big chunk of my power during the summoning. I need a little bit more time."

"No way..." gasped distraught Lisanna.

Azauma's eyes widened a little. "Mira? As in Demon Mirajane?!"

"So what of it?" scoffed Mira.

"I find it hard to believe. So far, you've yet to show anything worthy of your-"

Azuma was cut off by a sharp kick to his right cheek, that staggered him. He looked at Mira with widened eyes, a small smirk forming on his face.

"Do you have anything else to say?" she snarled.

Azuma chuckled and wiped his bloodied lip. "No, I do not. You have my apologies. If your magic power is truly lacking, then I can grant you some time to replenish it."

Mira's eyes widened. "What?"

"I wish to fight you at your best. If giving you 20 minutes to regain your magic is the price for it, I shall do it."

Mira gritted her teeth in anger. Was this bastard was mocking her?

"I don't need your pity. Fight me as I am, I'm more than enough for you." she mocked him with a smirk.

"I see. So you are unwilling to accept my offer." sighed Azuma. "Very well. Perhaps watching me kill your sister will change your mind." he announced and raised his hand in Lisanna's direction, before blowing her away with an explosion.

"You bastard!" roared Mira.

"I already told you. I will do anything to fight the Demon. If you are not willing to use the chance I am giving you, then I will simply kill your sister before your eyes and force you to battle me."

That did the trick. Mirajane kneeled down and tapped into her Satan Soul form, before dashing at the Kin and kicking him straight in the gut. Azuma gritted his teeth in pain, but his lips were curved into a smirk.

"This is it! This is the sensation I've been looking for! It's the best!" he announced before being sent flying by Mira, who flew right after him. Unbeknownst to her, she was surrounded by multiple small particles, that then turned into explosions, taking her in.

Furious, Mira flew out of the smoke cloud and searched the area with her eyes. Suddenly, she felt something grabbing her ankles and wrists, with branches growing out of the cloud, rendering her immobile. Azuma stood at their very base and snapped his fingers, a chain of explosions making its way towards the Demon.

 _ **CHAIN BURST!**_

With the explosions meeting at one spot, the last one was huge, swallowing Mira whole. Mirajane managed to survive this onslaught and was sent flying upwards, her body spinning against her will. After couple seconds she finally regained control over her body and spread her wings, coming to a halt. She then dashed into the dust cloud and struck Azuma with her right fist, who blocked it with his own.

Both mages started to exchange punches and kicks, their movements gaining incredible speed.

Mira blocked Azuma's kick aimed at her face with her left forearm and responded with a kick of her own, her boot sinking deep into his stomach. Azuma coughed up blood, with Mira nailing him with an upper a second later. The man's head was blown upwards, only to then feel Mira's feet striking the left side of his head.

Mirajane followed after him and engaged him once again, pushing him against the ropes. Her raw power, speed and aggression were too great for him to simply overcome without using his magic, which he had no access to as of now. Mirajane was making sure to keep him busy and render him unable to focus. Or so she thought.

"Outstanding." gasped Azuma in excitement, after blocking a punch. "So this is the power you used to best Dryden. You're truly living up to your name."

Just as he said that, he caught her fist with his left hand and kicked her in the gut, before blasting her away with an explosion. Mirajane was blown away, but quickly regained her footing. She raised her head to the sight of multiple giant branches coming in her direction. In response to that, she flew up with her wings. The branches followed her, so she created a ball of darkness and threw it at them, blowing them into small bits. Using this cover, she spiked down straight at her opponent, who was caught off guard.

With a powerful right hook, Mira struck Azuma right in the top of his head, successfully smashing his entire figure into the ground, making him crash into it with his right side. She then lowered her knees and slid her left hand on the ground, the motion making it seem like she was bowling. Her left hand was surrounded by a large amount of dark energy, and as she slid it on the ground, she was leaving a small trail of destruction behind it.

 _ **EVIL EXPLOSION!**_

Mirajane blasted downed Azuma and made him fly after catching him with a nasty explosion. The man landed several meters away and began to roll on the ground, immobile. Not trusting him, Mirajane followed behind to make sure he was defeated. Just when she was few feet away from him, the man quickly got back up onto his knees and snapped his fingers.

 _ **REMOTE BURST!**_

The Demon was taken by an explosion that erupted beneath her feet. During his rolling, Azuma marked the spot with his magic and awaited the woman's charge.

The Kin stood up and ripped his destroyed armor off, revealing his battered in body. Although he used his branches to block most of the attack, he still received serious damage.

Without giving Mira a second to counterattack, he spread his arms to the sides, before bringing them together, his hands joining with a dull clap. Two giant hands made out of wood grew out from beneath the ground around Mira and forcefully grabbed her figure, locking her in without any way of escaping.

The Demon gasped from the squeeze, still not recovered from previous damage. She tried to escape, but the more she struggled, the harder was the hold. Glad that his trap succeeded, Azuma licked his lips and smirked, the high of this amazing battle providing him with utmost joy. He disconnected his hands and snapped his fingers, which made the giant hands holding Mira glow in bright yellow light.

Lisanna could simply watch as her sister desperately tried to free herself, before being taken by quite possibly the biggest explosion she's seen in her life. The younger Strauss was knocked over by the shockwave, her eardrums suffering dearly from the noise. Pieces of wood and ground flew in all directions, but something else caught her attention. Something warm splashed onto her face, and with a shaky, fearful hand she wiped it off, only to see blood smeared on her fingers.

With rage she never felt in her life before, Lisanna roared and transformed into her **Cheetah Form** , before dashing at Azuma. The man did not even look at her. Instead, he raised his hand in her direction and muttered one word.

 _ **BLEVE**_

Lisanna was blown away by the disinterested Azuma. The man's attention was fully on his real opponent, and as the smoke died down, her figure was revealed.

Blood was dripping from multiple spots on her body, such as her forehead, knees and especially her heavily injured left shoulder. She was covered in many burns, and lacerations, and her magic power took a tremendous damage in order to nullify the explosion the best to her ability, but other than that, she was still standing.

"You damn bastard." she snarled furiously.

Azuma licked his lips and grinned eagerly. "This is what I wanted to see. You're beautiful, Mirajane!"

* * *

"Puny god?"

Wendy covered her face with her arms, her skin unpleasantly itching and burning. The Exceeds fought as hard as they could to stay conscious, the heat radiating from below them too big for them to simply endure. Breathing came with problems as well, the insides of their mouths and noses burning.

Natsu and Zancrow were currently standing still, their foreheads meeting each other, both of them staring the other down with wide, focused eyes. Their respective cloaks of flames merged along with their magic power, producing a giant red and black pillar of fire that rose high into the sky. It produced enough heat to burn and dry out any life forms in the surrounding area.

Zancrow, who did not take to Natsu's taunt lightly, was the one who initiated this scene. His fists were clenched tight, ready to strike at any moment. "You know, it's shit like this that puts you in an early grave." he growled.

Both Slayers simultaneously hit each other with right hooks, their heads flying to the side. While Zancrow cut Natsu's lip with his strike, Natsu's was ineffective. That did not bother the Dragon Slayer, however, who quickly recovered and grabbed Zancrow by the hair, before headbutting him. He then followed up with a left hook, which was shaken off by the Kin.

"I've already told you, your flames don't hurt!" he yelled and tried to attack with his right hand. Natsu ducked right underneath it and delivered a powerful uppercut to the gut that managed to lift Zancrow off the ground good 5 centimeters into the air.

The God Slayer's face twisted in a grimace, which did not go unnoticed by Natsu. He tried to follow up with a left highkick, but was blocked and pushed away. Zancrow struck Natsu with a right elbow across the face and kicked him in the stomach, before launching a ball of fire after him. Natsu slid back on his feet and created a ball of flames of his own, which he used to strike the incoming attack. He placed it underneath the black flames and pushed upwards, sending both balls into the air.

Zancrow used this chance to throw a right highkick, which Natsu ducked under. Expecting another gut shot, the Kin jumped back, his intuition turning out to be true. Natsu ran after him and tried to kick with his right leg, with Zancrow having the same idea. Their legs clashed into each other, a small shockwave appearing in the struck place.

Both men stared each other into the eye, before unleashing the full power of their flames, and engaging in a wild exchange of kicks, punches and holds. Their movements have become so fast, Wendy could only watch two blurry figures sliding on the ground, as they duked it out with each other, their auras merging once again and surrounding them in a giant ball of flames.

"Let's get further away, but let's also get lower a little." proposed Lily. "The higher we'll go, the hotter it'll get. Let's just keep our distance, but stay closer to the ground."

"Good idea." nodded Carla, and took Wendy away from the scene.

After getting far enough, the trio took a deep breath, finally without feeling pain. "Why doesn't he use stronger attacks?" questioned Lily. "From what I can tell, his outclasses this Zancrow person in terms of combat. I was told he is almost as strong as Laxus, that should give him enough firepower to unleash a powerful spell."

"He can't use anything bigger than a punch." Carla shook her head. "This guy can eat his magic. No matter how strong a spell, if he can simply devour it, then it is meaningless."

"So one is a better fighter, while the other has superior magic." deduced Lily. "There is no telling which direction this battle could go in."

Zancrow raised his right arm just in time to block a punch aimed at his nose, but in exchange for that, he left his stomach open, which Natsu used by kicking it. The God Slayer slid back and clawed his right hand, before slicing at Natsu, who caught it by the wrist and avoided being burned, Zancrow used this opportunity to deliver a left hook followed by a blast of flames, that effectively pushed Natsu back. The Dragon Slayer answered by using his flames as a smokescreen and snuck in a nasty uppercut, aimed at the gut. Since the beginning of this fight, one of his main strategies was striking the same spot over and over again in order to soften up Zancrow's defense. This plan turned out to be the right choice, because with each strike, his reactions revealed more pain than previously.

Both Slayer engaged each other in yet another exchange of blocked strikes, before ending up in another dual exchange, this time of left straights. Both men recovered immediately and struck back, hitting each other at the same time once again. Feeling fed up with each other, Zancrow and Natsu focused their magic in their right fists and clashed them against each other.

Wendy watched as both men's flames started to blown behind their owners. The sight resembled two comets, black and red, pushing against each other, as their flames blew backwards and devoured everything behind their main bodies. Both men were roaring loudly, neither of them giving in. Despite being superior in terms of magic, Zancrow was unable to overpower Natsu in terms of raw strength, the one thing the Dragon Slayer was making up for to make them both equals.

Suddenly, their flames caused an explosion that took them both in, a cloud of smoke and flames appearing where they previously stood. Wendy was forced to cover her eyes to avoid incoming pieces of the ground.

When she opened them, she spotted Natsu flying out of the cloud, his legs turned into thrusters similar to the ones he used to get her onto the island with. Behind him was Zancrow, who did exactly the same. Both men flew high into the air, neither giving in. After couple more meters Natsu turned around in the air and puffed his chest out, which made Zancrow smirk at the sight.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

Natsu launched his Roar at Zancrow, who simply opened his mouth and started to devour it. In the meantime, the Dragon Slayer turned his legs towards the sky and started to quickly come down. He flew right through his own attack, much to Zancrow's shock, and struck him with a powerful punch. He dragged him in the air for a moment, before flexing his shoulder and pushing as hard as he could, making his opponent fly towards the ground, as he smashed into it with enough force to crack it.

Zancrow gasped, air leaving his lungs, and looked up to see a meteor descend onto him. He quickly threw his legs over his head and got on all fours, before jumping back just in time to avoid impact. Natsu crashed into the ground with his legs and quickly turned on his feet, before dashing at Zancrow, who in return jumped even further back.

The God Slayer stopped and spread his arms, before litting them on fire. His hands turned into mouth-shaped flames, that when combined created a mouth.

 ** _FIRE GOD'S SUPPER!_**

Natsu was caught in-between the flames, his entire body starting to burn immediately. He cried out in pain, much to Zancrow's delight.

"Once you're trapped in these flames, it's game over. Soon your body will be reduced to ash. Give up, Salamander." he taunted.

The Dragon Slayer tried to break the flames with his own, but his aura was smothered back into nothingness shortly afterwards. With time running out, he reached out to the only option he had left.

Zancrow watched Natsu's figure slowly disappear in the flames, and after couple more seconds, he was completely gone. He started to laugh maniacally and canceled his flames, with burned pieces of Natsu's clothing falling onto the ground.

"And the Dragon Hunter bites the dust!" roared happily Zancrow. "That's what you get, you cocky tra-"

His celebration was interrupted by the sound of ground breaking beneath his feet. A second later, before he could react, he was struck under his chin by a powerful uppercut delivered by Natsu, who launched himself from beneath the ground. In the last moments before being burned alive, he managed to dig up a tunnel that allowed him to bypass the spell and safely make it to Zancrow's position.

The Fairy Tail mage followed up with a nasty right straight that made Zancrow slide backwards and ran after him, willing to continue his barrage. Fed up with his opponent, Zancrow quickly puffed his cheeks out, before unleashing his spell.

 ** _FIRE GOD'S BELLOW!_**

Natsu was swallowed by the point-blank variation of Roar. Although he managed to stay on the ground, he felt his whole body burning, unbearable pain spreading across his entire figure. When the flames finally died down, they revealed smoking and sliding back Natsu with his hands crossed over his head and torso, multiple burns scattered all over his body. The sleeves of his jacket have been completely burned off, revealing his arms entirely. He slowly put them down and glared at the God Slayer, panic slowly starting to creep up onto his neck. Although he kept repeating Gildarts' lesson over and over to keep himself in check, he was running out of options.

"The end is near." hummed Zancrow and smirked.

* * *

Mirajane struck Azuma with a powerful kick to the lower back, after successfully maneuvering behind him with her wings. She then pushed him with her leg and sent him flying. The man turned in the air and pointed at her with his right hand, branches growing out from the ground beneath him. Mirajane forced her body to obey her, and dodged them all, only to be then blasted away with an explosion.

"Mira..." Lisanna tried to call out to her sister, but was too weak to scream.

The Demon grit her teeth and spread her wings to come to a halt, before coming down onto the Kin. They started to exchange hits once again, only this time, it was Mirajane's turn to be at the disadvantage.

"What's wrong?" questioned Azuma after striking her in the face. "Did you lose all of your strength after that blast?"

Mira gritted her teeth in fury and replied with a kick of her own, catching him in the ribs. Azuma grunted from pain and froze in his spot. Mira used this chance to gather her magic into her hands and put them on his chest, a black sphere formed in her palms.

 ** _EVIL EXPLOSION!_**

Azuma was blown away by the attack, as he cried out in pain and crashed into the nearby tree, breaking it in half in the process. Seeing this as one golden, and quite possibly final chance, she focused all of her remaining magic in her right hand and formed a black ball.

 ** _SOUL EXTINCTOR!_**

Azuma was swallowed by a black beam of death, everything behind him turning into ashes and pieces. Mira roared out of exhaustion and pain, but kept pumping her magic into the attack and kept it going for as long as she could. Feeling that her vision was getting blurry, she canceled it and panted heavily, tired beyond belief.

When the dust settled, she felt her eyes widening in horror at the sight of many thick, demolished branches before her. Right behind them was Azuma, his damage nowhere near as serious as it should have been. His face, however, was a mix of both pure fear the thrill he felt from the battle.

"Terrifying...absolutely terrifying." he gasped and smirked nervously, before jumping down from behind his shield. "You are exactly what I was looking for. Now, let's both enjoy ourselves even more, Mirajane!" he exclaimed and dashed at the Demon. Before she could even raise her hands up, he hit her in the face and kicked her away.

The Demon crashed into the fallen trees and let herself slide on the wood, no strength left in her body at all. However, despite that, she stood up and put up her guard, her eyes still alive. Azuma caught up to her and started to beat her up, not giving her even a second of rest.

"Hurry up and defend yourself, Mirajane!" he ordered her.

Mira growled and managed to punch him with her right hand, but it didn't do any damage at all. Finally realising that she had almost no strength to stand, Azuma's smile faded away.

"So you've emptied yourself out, didn't you?" he asked her. He then closed his eyes and pushed her, making her fly backwards. She landed on her back couple meters away, her breathing irregular.

"To show you my gratitude, allow me to defeat you with force equal to the one you've showed me just now." he announced and used his branches to create a big ball, that then started to glow dangerously. Mira could only stare at it in silence, as she made peace with her defeat.

"Stop!"

Lisanna got in-between the mages and spread her arms out, willing to protect her big sister.

"Move." ordered Azuma. "I have no business with you."

"I won't."

Lisanna's glare was hard, hateful and determined. Although he felt no interest in the younger sister, something piqued his interest in those eyes.

"Idiot...get out of the way." wheezed out Mira.

"I won't. You've been protecting me all my life, now it's my turn." Lisanna shook her head.

"I said move!"

"No!"

Azuma stomped the ground to break the argument, and regained Lisanna's attention. "I respect your resolve, but it is not you I am battling with. If you do not move, I will be forced to use this on you."

Lisanna gulped. "Go ahead. That's what I want anyway."

Azuma's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'll die." he warned her.

"I know."

Azuma wondered for a second. "Very well. If you are truly willing to take this in your sister's stead, so be it."

"Promise me you will not touch her afterwards." she ordered him. Although she was scared beyond belief, in this situation, she truly resembled her sister's usual confident, and brave demeanour.

"You have my word." promised the Kin.

Lisanna nodded and closed her eyes, awaiting the impact.

Mirajane could simply watch as her opponent was now getting ready to throw his spell at her sister. Her little sister, one of the only people in this world she truly loved. And she was about to die.

With new found strength, Mirajane stood up and threw herself at Azuma, a desperate roar of despair escaping her mouth. Too fast to let him make a move, Mira kicked him in the gut so hard his eyes became rid of pupils, blood escaping his mouth. The ball was canceled, with no explosions going off.

Azuma slid on the balls of his feet, with Mirajane following him, bombarding him with a barrage of punches and kicks. She no longer gave a damn where, or how she struck - she simply kept pushing forward.

Her opponent, shocked and glad at the same time, grinned wickedly and started to fight back, both mages exchanging hits once again. Mira struck him with a right kick to the ribs, to which he replied with a right hook. Although her body was crying out in pain, she kept going, not giving up.

"Where did this strength come from?" asked Azuma after blocking a punch.

Mira did not reply, but instead kept pushing. Seeing that it was futile to reason with her, Azuma pushed her away with an explosion and jumped back, reading up his previous attack once again.

"This time, this will go off!" he announced. "Overcome this and try to defeat me, Mirajane!" he roared and threw it at the Demon.

Mira focused the absolute last reserves of her magic power into her right fist and flew straight into the ball. However, instead of blocking, or countering it, she simply flew underneath it, catching Azuma by surprise.

With the Kin completely defenseless, Mira allowed her attack to fully expand, her right hand retracted and ready to strike. But before she could attack, she spotted something odd. Azuma's eyes were not focused on her, but something behind her. She slowly turned her head around and felt her heart sink at the sight of the now ready to explode wood making its way towards Lisanna, who - unable to move due to her injuries - simply closed her eyes, awaiting the impact.

Mira desperately canceled her spell and threw herself in her sister's direction. A second later a giant explosion erupted in Fairy Tail's camp, blowing everything up, along with the surrounding area. Azuma was forced to secure himself with his vines in order not to be blown away.

When the dust settled, it revealed a giant crater. Right in the middle of it laid Lisanna, her wide eyes staring at her older sister, now back in her human form, who was currently laying on top of her.

"M...Mira?" stuttered Lisanna and gently shook her now unconscious sister. "Hey, Mira...wake up. Please..."

Azuma watched the scene in shock, sweat running down his face. He knew very well that if she had came through with her spell, he would be the one lying on the ground in defeat. Mirajane Strauss sacrificed herself for her younger sister after choosing her safety and life over defeating an enemy.

Lisanna gently crawled out from beneath her sister and gently took a hold of her body, covered in burns and almost rid of clothing. Her usual ponytail was now undone, her hair scattered all over her sleeping face.

"Hey...please, wake up. Mira..." Lisanna started to tear up and shook her sister.

Azuma undid the magic around his legs and straightened himself up, before bowing to his defeated opponent in respect. He then turned around and started to walk away, leaving the devastated sisters to themselves. Although Mirajane has earned his complete and total respect, he would lie if he said he was not disappointed.

Even though it was almost insignificant in size when compared to the admiration he developed for the Demon.

* * *

Natsu and Zancrow continued to slug it out, their strikes now lacking the technique and focused on simply delivering pain to their opponent.

"Will you cut it out already?!" roared the God Slayer and kicked Natsu straight in the teeth. The Dragon Slayer stumbled back and was caught by a right overhand, which pushed him back even further.

Natsu planted his foot deep into the ground in order not to fall down, and glared hatefully at Zancrow.

"This is pointless." declared grimly Carla. "He can't win."

Natsu picked the tabby's words with his ears, and could not find it in himself to argue with her. However, he still had one more thing to try, and he was willing to do everything to check it out.

Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before exhaling slowly. He straightened himself up and relaxed his tense, aching body. His flaming aura started to get smaller and smaller, until it vanished completely, however, it was not dispelled. It looked like it was sucked back into its owner's body.

Zancrow watched his opponent in confusion. Was he finally going insane? Did he really expect to achieve anything without his magic?

With one final breath, Natsu opened his eyes and focused them on Zancrow. Without a warning he dashed forward, to which Zancrow replied by lazily putting up his guard. The God Slayer threw a swift punch with his right hand, which Natsu avoided by sidestepping to his right. He then clenched his right fist and threw a right hook at Zancrow's face. The God Slayer was caught right on his lips, and he immediately felt something was off. Natsu pushed with his fist and blew the Kin's head away, before noticing a very important phenomenon - for the first time since this battle started, he drew blood.

Shocked and confused, Zancrow tried to jump away, but was caught mid-way by Natsu who nailed him with a left hook followed by two powerful uppercuts to the stomach. Zancrow gasped from pain, before being nailed by an overhand right straight into his nose. His nose joined his lip in bleeding.

"How?!" he snarled and sent a wave of flames in Natsu's direction, who swiftly avoided it and got behind Zancrow. Before the blonde could fully turn, he was caught across his face with a right highkick, that sent him straight into the ground. He bounced off of it like a ball, which gave Natsu just enough space to kick him in the now exposed stomach, lifting him up in the air. The God Slayer coughed up blood, before being punched into his left ribs and sent flying, only to then roll on the ground.

"What is going on in here?" asked shocked Carla. "How can he suddenly hurt him, and why is he not using his flames?"

Wendy watched the battle in awe and beamed, hope returning to her bit by bit. "He's hurting him _because_ he's not using them!" she announced happily.

"What do you mean?" asked her curious Lily.

"Natsu is using his flames, but not outside. Instead of turning his magic into fire, he's keeping it inside of his body. He is not reaching the levels of power he'd reach with his flames, but his strikes are still quite powerful. If there is nothing to nullify, then the damage will be whole!" she explained. "I think..."

"You think?!"

"I've talked to Erza couple days ago, and she told me, that he used this trick against her during their battle. That way, he could counter her Flame Empress Armor, and force her to change into something else."

"Even if that's true" argued Carla "I still find it hard to believe it."

"No, it makes sense." threw in Lily. "I thought it was only my imagination, but Natsu did in fact hurt this man before, even with his flames. The damage came from the impact of the strikes. If Natsu took out the flames, and increased the impact, then it is possible he's found a way to bypass his God Slaying magic."

While the trio discussed the ongoing events, Natsu and Zancrow continued to duke their fight out. Natsu dodged a flaming fist aimed at his right temple and kicked Zancrow right in the gut. The God Slayer quickly took a hold of his leg and burned it, before smashing his jaw with a hook. Natsu staggered backwards, but regained his composure quickly and dashed back in.

"Wait a second." began Carla. "If his offense has been increased, what about his defense?"

Just when she asked that, Natsu cried out in pain after being burned by Zancrow's flaming cloak. Figuring out the trick, the God slayer decided to keep this aura up at all times, effectively smashing Natsu's chances.

"Quite a clever little trick you've got there, Salamander." he growled and wiped the blood off his lips. "But I've figured it out." he announced before punching Natsu in the gut, leaving him gasping for air.

"I knew it! It's impossible to fight him without magic!" exclaimed Carla. Wendy's worries have started to come back with double the strength.

Natsu growled and jumped up, smashing his head into Zancrow's jaw. He then started to pummel the God Slayer with everything he had, disregarding the pain he felt in his burned hands. He focused his strikes on his ribs, effectively cutting Zancrow off air, as well as cracking them further and further with each punch.

Feeling more and more dull pain spreading across his body, Zancrow snapped.

"Enough!" he roared and smashed his fist into Natsu's guts once again. This punch left the Dragon Slayer devastated. Zancrow followed through by smashing his right fist into the back of his opponent's head, before kicking him right in the face, which made his body fly upwards. Natsu started to take unsteady steps backwards on wobbly legs, before feeling the edge of the cliff they were battling on.

"This is the end for you, wannabe-Dragon Slayer." snarled Zancrow and raised his arms, his hands turned into claws. He focused his whole magic in his palms, the heat from his flames making them almost white in color.

 _ **FIRE GOD'S PURGATORY!**_

Natsu was swept off the cliff by a purging blast of black flames. They knocked him off and made him fall into the forest beneath, his body leaving a fat trail of smoke behind.

"Natsu!" Wendy cried out after him and reached out to his falling figure with her hand, both Exceeds struggling to keep her away from jumping behind him.

"You can't, Wendy!" Carla tried to reason with her friend.

Zancrow quickly snapped his eyes at the trio and turned around to face them. "You're next." he announced.

Carla and Lily were paralysed by fear. Only now that he was facing them did they truly feel the pressure that was coming from his body. Without even talking to each other, they both dragged Wendy along, as they spiked into the same forest Natsu fell into.

Zancrow watched them in amusement, and with all of his enemies finally gone from his sight, he grimaced in pain and fell to his knees. He lifted his shirt up, only to see many bruises forming on his torso, his ribs hurting beyond anything he's ever felt in his life.

"That son of a bitch, slave scum." he growled and punched the ground to cope with the pain. "How could this happen?"

"It is only natural."

Azuma started to grow out from the ground behind the God Slayer, which startled him.

"It's just you." he sighed in relief. "Don't scare me like that, man." he said and then got back to examining his wounds. "How long have you been here?"

"I've arrived just in time to see the end." replied Azuma. "Looks like he got you good, Zancrow."

"Speak for yourself." scoffed Zancrow. "You're pretty banged up yourself. Who did this to you?"

"A strong opponent whom I have defeated."

The blonde snorted in amusement. "This guild? Strong? Don't make me laugh." He then looked at the forest. "You think he survived it?"

"Even if he wasn't killed by your flames, it'll be the fall that takes his life. Also, you should know by now, that this guild can be quite tenacious. Your current state being the proof of that."

"He got lucky, okay?" snapped Zancrow. "Besides, you guys lied to me. You said if I talked shit to him, he'd snap and lose his mind, making him an easy target, and yet no matter which buttons I pressed, he kept trying to figure me out and stayed calm. It was annoying."

"Deal with it." retorted shortly Azuma. "In a one-on-one combat, Salamander could very likely best any Kin. Except you. Your magic was the only way we could take him down and push him out of the way of our plans. And although you've done it with difficulty, you've fulfilled your mission."

The blonde said nothing in return.

"Take some rest, Zancrow. I know I will." said Azuma, before walking away and merging with the ground once again.

The God Slayer stood up and stared the forest down one final time, before starting to make his way back to the ship. Despite his injuries, a small smirk formed on his face.

* * *

Natsu crashed into the ground, breaking it in the process. He landed on his legs, his flames protecting him from fall damage best to their ability. He then canceled them out and fell to his knees. He stared at his hands, the reality slowly getting to him. He'd lost. He allowed the person who continued to mock both him and his father to best him, and leave him on the edge of the island like a chewed up toy. The anger that he's been keeping sealed away leaked out, breaking the dam.

"DAMN IT!" he roared and struck the ground as hard as he could, breaking it and making it shake in the process. "I'll kill him. I'll kill him." he snarled repeatedly, blind rage consuming his mind. "I will..."

Just before he could strike the ground again, he remembered Gildarts' words, as they echoed in his mind like a chant. Confused, he grabbed his head with his hands and leaned towards the ground, tapping it with his forehead.

"Shut up...shut up...shut up!" he repeated, trying to contain his bloodthirst and regain his senses. This was no longer him, he was better than this.

"...Natsu?"

Natsu's eyes snapped wide open. He looked at the owner of the voice, revealing distraught Wendy, with Carla and Lily still supporting her with their magic, also shocked. Feeling shame, Natsu wanted to speak out, but before he did, he smelled a familiar scent. However, something was different about it - it reeked of iron.

Without thinking he dashed out in its direction, leaving the confused trio behind. They followed him shortly afterwards.

After running for a couple minutes, Natsu stopped and took the sight in, his stomach turning out. The smell belonged to Makarov, who laid unconscious in his crater. He was covered in wounds, a small pool of blood forming beneath his body.

Wendy arrived at the scene shortly afterwards and took her Master's state in silence, before dashing to his side, immediately starting to heal him.

"Master is down?" muttered stunned Carla. "This can't be happening..."

Natsu continued to stare at the man with wide eyes. Although they have not talked to each other very often, he felt some sort of a connection to the elder. Perhaps it was a feeling of guilt, about hurting his guild members? Or maybe it was the cheerful attitude he showed when they spoke? No.

It was gratitude.

Deep inside his heart, and even though he'd never admit it himself, Natsu was grateful he met Makarov. Grateful he was given a second chance at life, life without fear, cruelty, or pain. He was grateful he was brought to the guild, and was given a chance to meet the people he knew today. Gray, Lucy, Wendy. Erza.

He couldn't put this together himself, but his teammates, as well as Wendy, resembled him of the people he knew in the past. People who brought peace to his heart, who soothed him and made him take it easy for once. He met these people because of one man. But most importantly, it was thanks to him he met Erza.

And now, this very man was on the brink of death.

Natsu's body was clad in a cloak of flames, which startled Wendy and the cats. He stared at Makarov's unconscious body in silence, his face seemingly calm, but oozing with silent rage.

"I'm going back there." he announced. "I will take care of them all."

With that said, he turned around and started to make his way back. Before Carla could call after him, someone was faster than her.

"Wait."

Wendy's stern voice managed to halt Natsu in his tracks. He turned his head around and looked at the girl, her determined, hurt eyes drilling a hole in his soul. "You can't go. I can't heal Master without you."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "I can't use healing magic. I will defeat Grimoire Heart while you're healing him."

"You're right, you can't heal. But neither can I, not in these conditions. I need someone to carefully carry Master to safety, while I give him first aid on the way. I need supplies that I cannot replace with my magic." explained Wendy, trying to remain calm.

Natsu appeared to consider her words. However, he quickly dismissed them and resumed to walk away.

"I don't know which one of you is here right now..."

The Dragon Slayer stopped and stared ahead with his eyes wide. _What did she say?_

"But I need your help. If you walk away now, Master will die. Does this truly mean nothing to you?!" she yelled out, her pent up frustration finding a way out.

Natsu looked at his hand. It was shaking. It wasn't fear, or anger that did this to him - it was her words. He closed it and took a deep breath, his mind becoming at ease at a slow pace. He dispelled his flames and walked up to Makarov's side, before kneeling by the elder. "What do I need to do?" he asked Wendy.

The girl smiled a little, glad that he returned to his senses. "I need you to gently pick him up and place him on your back. We will then try to walk back to the camp, where I can give him proper treatment. However, we must walk at a steady pace, otherwise his wounds might reopen."

Natsu nodded and gently picked the elder up, before placing him on his back. Wendy walked behind them and kept her magic focused on Makarov, her face focused. The Exceeds walked behind them on their paws, at the same time looking around for any possible enemies.

As they walked, Natsu had time to think, Wendy's words still ringing in his head. Did people really think of him as "them"? Was it really _that_ obvious?

While he thought about that, they continued to slowly walk deeper into the forest. Wendy was focused on healing, Exceeds were focused on the enemies, but Natsu's mind was torn in half. Because although he was thinking about his partner's words, there was something else dwelling on him, both on his mind and his tongue.

Natsu Dragneel continued to walk, terrorized by both his past, and the bitter taste of defeat.

 **End of Chapter 23. To be continued in Chapter 24: Requiem For The Fallen**

* * *

 **Some of you...Hah, a lot of you are probably pissed right now, and I can't really blame you. However, let me explain myself.**

 **The reason Natsu lost to Zancrow is divided into many reasons:  
**

 **\- GS DS**

 **\- I made GH slightly stronger than they were in the canon. Not by much, but they are a bit stronger.**

- **Tenrou Tree is down. FT lost a bit of their magic**

 **\- I made him lose in order to develop his character. Right now we are in the ugly parts, but trust me, it will only get better from now on**

 **\- GS can eat their DS counterpart's magic. This is canon. Since they both use fire, Natsu could not use stronger attacks, and his punches were basically him punching without magic, at least until the last part of the fight. Zancrow also has immunity to Natsu's fire, because of his magic's nature.**

 **\- Natsu was superior in speed, hand to hand, and raw power, as well as magic power alone. The only thing he was inferior in was magic, since, as I've said, GS is superior to DS.**

 **\- Despite Natsu's skill, Zancrow is not that weaker than him. I'd put him at Erza's level. Even in canon it was implied he was one of the strongest Kin, and Natsu's attacks had absolutely no effect on him as well.**

 **\- This fight marks the end of Natsu's losing streak.**

 **If you're still angry, please answer this question: How is Natsu supposed to beat someone, who is basically immune to his magic?**

 **I hope I at least made Mira fans happy, despite her loss. I gave her some spotlight, and made it obvious, that she was in fact capable of besting Azuma. It could go either way, and it did. I also disliked the idea of a timebomb, so I changed it. I hope you like it.**

 **Next chapters will feature Rustyrose, and I've got a small hint for you. If you've read Bleach and its latest arc, you might notice some interesting things about him.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. See you next time~!**


	25. Requiem For The Fallen

After what felt like half an hour, Natsu and Wendy took a stop on their way to the camp.

During the walk, Natsu was quiet, deep in his thoughts. Conflicted was the right word to describe him right now. On one hand, he felt the stinging feeling of defeat, his pride taking yet another powerful hit. On the other, he was glad he could stop himself, before doing something stupid. However, despite that, he didn't do it by himself. Someone had to help him. Again. And that stung.

Makarov's condition has worsened to the point where traveling without treating him could very well be lethal. Natsu took the elder to a cave that was nearby and gently laid him down, before ripping his own left pantleg and shredding it into rags, which were then used by Wendy to bandage the Master's wounds, even if briefly.

Wendy continued to pour her magic into Makarov, her breathing getting heavier with each minute. She was close to her limit.

"Take a short break, Wendy." proposed gently Carla. "Master's breathing is better, you can rest for a moment."

The girl shook her head. "I can't, not yet." she breathed out and extinguished her hands, before wiping her forehead and turning to Natsu.

The older Dragon Slayer was standing in the entrance to the cave, his arms crossed on his chest. He sharpened all of his senses in order to catch any approaching enemies.

"Natsu, come here, please." Wendy called out to him.

Natsu twitched and turned around to face her. "I'm good. Focus on gramps."

"You're injured as well, I can't let you walk around like that."

"I'm fi-"

As soon as he turned around to walk in her direction, he hissed from pain. He then looked down and finally took the extent of his injuries. Both of his hands were burned up to the elbows, along with his face and torso, where he was struck by Zancrow's fists. His forehead and lip were split, both leaking already thickened rivers of blood down his face. With the adrenaline wearing off, he could finally feel just how hurt he was.

"Fine." he gave up. "But eat some air first. Better step out of the cave, old man is weak as he is."

Wendy nodded eagerly and walked out of the cave. In the meantime, Natsu walked up to her spot and sat down with a sigh.

"Are you all right?" asked him Carla with a glimpse of suspicion in her eye.

Natsu looked at the Exceed, slightly confused. "Yeah, I'll manage." he said, gesturing at his body.

"I'm not talking about your wounds."

Realising she didn't have his outside injuries in mind, he looked away. "Yeah, I'm good. Not the first time I got my ass kicked anyway."

Carla's eyes narrowed, not buying it. Although not as much as previously, she was still distrustful of the man.

"Perhaps coming back there with a new strategy would be a good choice." threw in Pantherlily.

Carla looked at him in disbelief. "Did you not see what happened?! Going back there is suicide!"

"And letting him wander around the island like that is even worse." argued Lily. "Master is down, and we have no idea who else confronted, and possibly lost to those Kin. He's also injured, and if we all catch him by surprise, then-"

"No."

Lily was interrupted by Natsu, who took his scarf off and groaned while cracking his neck, a weird sensation of relief spreading across his body. "I can think of at least two people in the guild who can take care of him. Besides, I've got it now. He's a bad match for me, as painful as it is to admit. You asked me how was I" he said, directing his words at Carla "I'm fine. I've calmed down."

Although still distrustful, she did not spot anything out of the ordinary in his eyes. "Okay." nodded gently Carla.

Wendy came back to the cave, her face slightly less tired. "Okay, I'm ready."

Just as she was about to put her hands over Natsu, he extended his right hand to stop her. "Wait. Can you revert this thing first?" he asked her, before passing his scarf to her.

Although confused, she nodded and put her hands over the fabric, slowly purging the absorbed death magic from the muffler.

"Does the color really bother you that much?" asked Lily.

"No, but the moment I took it off, I suddenly felt better, like some weight got off my chest." Natsu shook his head.

"Now that I think about it, it did look like it absorbed that black energy from that man we've met earlier." pointed out Wendy. "Almost like the scarf protected you..."

"A man?" frowned Carla.

"Could it be..." wondered out loud Lily, his paw in his chin. "Could the man you've met be who Grimoire is looking for – Zeref?!"

* * *

 **East side of Tenrou Island**

Ultear stared ahead with wide, teary eyes, a wide smile growing on her face with each second. She was currently standing in front of a scowling young man with black hair, who was now slowly getting up from beneath the tree he was sitting under.

"Zeref...my Lord..." breathed the woman, tears forming in her eyes. "I've been looking for you for so long..."

"Who are you?" asked her Zeref, his piercing glare staring Ultear down. "Why do you know about my whereabouts? Is it my power you are seeking for?"

Ultear quickly dropped to her knee and bowed her head in respect. "Your very existence, my Lord."

"Is this the reason you are attacking this place? You and your people?"

"Yes. We are willing to go to great lengths in order to stand by your side." said Ultear, her bow deepening.

Zeref continued to stare at her, before slowly closing his eyes, a short sigh escaping his nose.

"No matter what era, people are still the same. All of the blood spilled, all of the lives claimed, all of the destruction caused in my name. I am unable to find words in any language known to mankind to describe just how much it pains me."

The atmosphere changed. Ultear's smile faded in an instant, giving in to pure fear. The air became uncomfortable to breathe in, and the soft wind ceased to travel through leaves and branches. There was, however, a foul stench spreading in the area at sickening pace.

The smell of death.

"I have no intention of doing anything, or taking a part in anything in this period." proclaimed Zeref, his red eyes grinding Ultear's groveling figure into the ground. "I don't want to see wars being fought in my name, I don't want to see people dying in my name. Stop attacking this island, and leave at once. I shall not repeat myself. Do not anger me any further."

Every muscle in Ultear's body froze. Sweat dropped onto her hands from her face, her wide eyes glued to the ground. She knew she was one wrong move away from death. Everything she'd worked for, gone in an instant. And that's exactly why she could not back down this easily.

Although scared beyond imagination, Ultear reached out to her back pocket and dashed at the Black Mage at the same time, catching him by surprise. Just when he was about to swallow the woman with a black wave of death, Ultear pressed her hand against his chest, a weird piece of paper in her palm.

As soon as she touched him, Zeref gasped and grabbed her wrist, which was now glowing.

Ultear's body was drenched in cold sweat, her chest rising and falling in rapid fashion. She placed a bet on her own life, something that made her almost pass out from horror – but it paid off.

Zeref's grip started to weaken, as he looked at Ultear with half-open eyes, strength leaving his body. "What have you...done to me…?" he gasped.

Ultear calmed her loud breathing down and smirked. "I have jammed the Ethernano inside your body. No matter how powerful a mage is, every single one of us is the same. To us, mages, Ethernano is like air. We get weaker if we are cut off from it. And that's exactly what I just did. I jammed your body with a magic seal, that prevents Ethernano from entering and leaving your body, In few seconds, you will shut down for a certain period of time, rendering you unconscious."

Zeref groaned and stumbled back, his legs slowly giving in. "No..." he moaned "You have no idea what you're doing….please….don't…."

"It's okay, my Lord." assured him Ultear in a kind, warm voice. "I will not harm you."

Zeref dropped to his knees and tried to fight back one last time, before falling onto his right side with a painful frown, unconscious.

Ultear took one last deep breath and smiled at the sight. She walked up to the fallen Zeref and gently picked him up, before stationing herself by the nearby tree, with Zeref in her arms.

"It's okay..." she hummed while caressing his hair. "No one will take you away from me..."

* * *

Elfman was once again blasted away along with the rock he was standing behind. He rolled on the ground and used the dust to get behind cover once again, with Evergreen still hiding behind hers.

It's been 5 minutes since they've encountered the man who claimed to be named Rustyrose, and ever since that moment, they've been on the defense. The Kin was simply standing out in the open, with multiple canons that appeared out of thin air placed behind him, shooting away at Fairy Tail mages.

"Ah, the sounds of fear, cannonballs and breaking rocks...truly a symphony for my ears!" hummed Rustyrose and raised his hands, before motioning them in the air, as if he was a conductor directing an orchestra.

"Messed up bastard.." growled Elfman and wiped the blood off his forehead, where he was struck by a piece of debris earlier on. "Where the hell did he even get these guns from?!"

"I don't know, they simply appeared behind him as soon as he introduced himself." replied Ever and gently peeked out from her hiding. "He's been firing at us without reloading a single one of them, so they can't be normal. I think his magic might be just like Lucy's, meaning he can summon things." she deduced and got back behind her rock, before smirking at Elfman. "But that's good."

The giant blinked. "Why so?"

"It means, that if we manage to close the distance, he will be an easy target. Summoning mages are weak in close quarters."

"Easier said than done." sighed Elfman. "Watch out!"

Another rain of cannonballs was fired in their direction. Elfman quickly ran to Ever and grabbed her just in time to take her away from the exploding rocks. The debris hit his back, making him grit his teeth in pain.

"Put me down, I can walk on my own!" yelled Evergreen and set herself free from his arms, only to then be blasted away along with him by an explosion that set off just under their feet.

"That one must have hurt." smirked Rustyrose. "I'm surprised you've managed to dodge for so long, anyway."

In the dust cloud, Evergreen hissed from pain and looked at her injured leg, before moving it to assess the damage. She then looked to her side where Elfman was. The man was already back on his feet, his figure guarding his partner against any possible incoming attacks.

"Can you walk?" he asked without looking at her.

"I don't need your concern." smirked the woman and also stood up.

"You can't turn him into stone, can you?"

"Not if he's wearing glasses. We'll have to take them off."

Elfman nodded and cracked his neck. "I'll distract him. You work on taking him down. If he really is as weak as you've said, one attack should be enough."

"Alright." nodded Ever and braced herself.

Elfman took a deep breath and ran out of the cloud, charging directly at his opponent.

"Growing desperate, aren't we?" taunted him the Kin. "I cannot blame you, not everyone can last this long against this beautiful magic of mine."

"Shut your trap!" roared Elfman and dashed even faster than before.

Rusty simply smirked in response and snapped his fingers, the cannons behind him firing at once at Elfman.

The impact of the explosion was so great it made him stagger backwards, with Elfman being swallowed by fire and smoke.

Just few seconds later. Elfman emerged from the explosion, still running, much to Rustyrose's shock. He was clad in iron-hard scales, his arms crossed on his torso and face in a guard. He was missing pieces of his armor in several places, and blood was flowing down his limbs and head from the damage, but he was still more than good to go.

 _ **TAKE OVER: LIZARDMAN!**_

Elfman continued to push through despite being injured, much to Rustyrose's growing dismay.

"Are brawns the only thing good about you?!" he asked and fired away once again, only to be tanked by Elfman once more. "Very well. Let's see you get past this!" he then snapped his fingers and made the cannons merge into one, giant one.

Despite all that, Elfman still continued to push through. Just when he was about to get hit by yet another shell, he smirked, with multiple magic bullets being shot from behind him.

Evergreen used her partner as a decoy and walked around the fighting zone, successfully getting in position suited enough to destroy the gun.

All of the bullets hit the cannon, breaking it into pieces. Rustyrose turned around to look at his creation, and at the same time, Elfman changed into his Beast Form and kicked the ground one last time, before striking the Kin in the stomach. The blow was so hard his fist sunk deep into the man's stomach, causing his glasses to fall off his face, with vomit mixed with blood escaping his mouth.

"Game over." smirked Elfman and gave his strike one last push. Much to his shock, Rustyrose's body started to crack, before shattering into hundreds of pieces of earth. The giant took two awkward steps after being carried by the weight of his own blow and looked at the pile in confusion.

"What the hell?" he frowned, with Evergreen approaching him with a matching expression. "Did you turn him into stone after his glasses fell off?" he asked her.

Evergreen shook her head. "No. I don't know what it is either. Better stay on guar-"

"That is a wise decision."

Before either of them could react, they were struck by something big and powerful, making them gasp from pain. They were blasted away to the side, both of them rolling on the bumpy ground. Elfman stopped after smashing into the ruins of a brick wall, while Evergreen was more gracious to get on her feet and slide on the ground while crouching, her left hand she used to support herself with slowing her down.

Her eyes widened in shock at the sight of an uninjured, and clapping Rustyrose, who walked out from behind a tree. There was no sight of the thing that hit them just couple seconds ago, and that frightened her.

"Well done." praised them the Kin. "You've earned a small glimpse of my respect."

"What the hell is going on in here?" growled Elfman and freed himself from the debris. "I just hit you with all I had!"

"Correction." Rustyrose raised his finger and waved it gently. "You did not hit _me_ , you've hit this." he said, before snapping his fingers. Something started to grow out of the ground right beside him, and couple seconds later, there were two Rustyrose's standing before Elfman and Evergreen, much to their shock.

"What the hell are you?" asked him Ever, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "What kind of magic is this?"

The Kin merely smirked and snapped his fingers again, his creation shattering back to the soil.

"Telling something of this importance to trash such as yourself is not only unworthy of my breath, it would only confuse your inferior brains." proclaimed Rusty and massaged his chin in the meantime.

"Say what now?" growled Elfman and bent his knees, ready to strike back.

"I'm saying you'll die too fast to understand the beauty of my powers." replied Rustyrose and snapped his fingers.

As soon as he did that, a giant monster started to materialize behind him out of thin air. Elfman could only watch the creature tower over him, its fangs exposed and its sight drilling a hole in his body.

"W-what is this..." gasped Elfman.

"This must be the thing he used to attack us a minute ago." deduced Evergreen.

"How very observant." remarked the Kin sarcastically. "Allow me to introduce you to my Guardian Siant Beast, Belcusas the Thunderclap."

"He has two different names?!"

Rustyrose adjusted his glasses and pointed at the pair with his right arm. "Go forth, Belcusas."

The beast roared and raised its right arm, before striking at Elfman. The man could only throw himself to the side to avoid the punch, which split the ground beneath his feet. The Take Over mage jumped and punched the beast right in the jaw, however the punch did little to no damage. The Guardian took its fist out of the soil and threw a backfist at Elfman, swatting him away like a fly. The giant flew into another wall, before disappearing in a cloud of dust and broken bricks.

"Elfman!" Ever called out to her partner and summoned her wings, before flying away from a punch thrown in her direction. She raised her right arm, before bringing it down onto the beast.

 _ **FAIRY MACHINEGUN: LEPRECHAUN!**_

Dozens of magic bullets hit Belcusas straight in the face and chest, exploding upon impact. The monster was taken in by a cloud of dust, with Evergreen hovering in the air just above it.

The beast was, however, unharmed by the attack and swatted the woman like a fly, making her crash to the ground.

"Your wings are certainly a problem..." pointed out the Kin. "Let's get rid of you first."

Belcusas raised his fist and brought it down onto Evergreen, only to be blocked by Elfman, who caught the strike with his body.

"Can't you….petrify this thing?!" he asked his partner, his voice strained by the effort he was putting into holding the beast in place.

"I can't petrify things that are not human." replied Evergreen and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Go for the guy, then!"

"Alright, hold this thing here!"

Ever dashed at Rustyrose and readied a ball of light in her right hand, only to then throw it into the ground. A cloud of dust covered her figure entirely, making it impossible for Rustyrose to predict where she could be hiding. Knowing full well he was her target, he merely smirked and extended his right arm to the side, before reciting.

"I am the King of The Underworld. This arm cuts through everything with a deep black blade..."

Evergreen reappeared directly above him and prepared to launch her attack, sure of her victory. The Kin's arm was now changed into five thick, black, and stiff tentacles, with grey claws at the end of them.

"Disappear to the edge of darkness." ordered Rustyrose and struck Evergreen with his right arm, causing her to crash to the ground hard, blood spilling onto it from the small cut on her right side.

"Evergreen!" called Elfman and lost his focus, which was used against him by Belcusas, who punched Elfman into the ground and then kicked him, making him roll on the ground in his partner's direction. The man dropped out of his Beast Form and laid there, unable to stand up.

"Just...what kind of magic is this..." he wondered out loud once again. None of this made any sense. Even if he had the ability to summon things, everything he's done up to this point did not match at all. From earth clones, to real, metal cannons, through beasts too powerful to take over, and now partial Take Over? "Just what the hell do you want from us?! From this island?!"

"I suppose curiosity really transcends over logic and common sense." sighed Rustyrose. "Very well, I guess I can give you a small glimpse, if it's to soothe your troubled minds before your end."

He snapped his fingers and a picture of a young man with black hair appeared next to him. A man very familiar to the pair.

"My magic is the closest thing to the abyss of the magical arts. It comes with great cost and side effects. If used in the wrong way, it could bring a tragedy onto this world...ah, such cruel destiny..." the man dramatically covered his forehead with his hand and shook his head, irritating Elfman. "But, as soon as we acquire Zeref..." he pointed at the picture. "...this tragedy will not happen ever again. It will be the beginning of the new age of magic!"

Evergreen's eyes widened at the sight of the picture. _Zeref?! This guy is...Zeref?!The legendary Black Mage? On this island?!_

"Our goal is the creation of the ultimate magic world, the true world of magic, where chaos and darkness dictate the rules!"

Rusty rose adjusted his glasses and smiled in sinister fashion, his demeanor changing drastically. "Those, who cannot use magic, cannot survive in this ultimate world of ours! Even if they could, they would be begging to be sent to hell instead!"

Ever and Elfman simply watched his in shock, as he thrust his head backwards and roared into the sky. „Isn't this wonderful?! A world just for us, where trash unable to use magic will go extinct! As soon as Zeref becomes the new King of this world, the ultimate magic world will be complete!"

Elfman grit his teeth in fury and slowly started to get up.

"Those without magic will be annihilated! It will be paradise only for mages! The inferior race will perish from this world! I have been waiting for this day for so long!" exclaimed Rustyrose, his voice becoming hoarse from screaming and laughing at the same time.

His monologue was interrupted by a small earthquake that shook the ground beneath his feet. Elfman struck his fist into the soil so hard he cracked it, and slowly started to get up.

"Erase those without magic, and create a world only for mages?" he repeated through his teeth. "Screw this!" he roared and got on his knees. "Only 10% of this world can use magic, everyone else is unable to use any magic of their own at all!"

"That's exactly right. And this 90% will perish, as a price for our paradise." stated calmly the Kin.

"And you really think we're just gonna let you do that?!"

"Why wouldn't you? Do you really think they are necessary in this world? People who cannot use magic are a liability. They are almost as useful as candles, that cannot be burned. Even worse, they are parasites, preying on this beautiful Earth."

"This world exists only because everyone is supporting each other, regardless of their abilities!" roared Elfman, now back on his feet.

"Support?" frowned Rusty. "are you perhaps referring to your guild? That's your ego talking. What you call support is in fact devouring riches from the powerless, doesn't this put us in the same boat?"

"You're wrong." Elfman shook his head. "It is because of us they can live in peace, it is because of us they can rest peacefully in their homes at night. We provide them strength, and the commoners reward us. We can't live without them, just how they can't live without us. These bonds of trust are what's keeping this world together, that's how guilds are born!"

Rustyrose could not stop the mocking laughter that escaped his mouth.

"Don't you dare laugh at my guild!" roared Elfman.

"Can you blame me?!" yelled Rustyrose in amusement. "I simply do not understand you people! Why do you subjugate yourselves to these inferior beings, who treat you like cattle? Is this what you think being a guild is? Speaking of guilds, why do you people consider yourselves to be the saviors of the world? You're just a guild, like hundreds of other groups of mages. Who gave you the right to act like heroes?! Let me tell you – your ego did. You are not doing this to help people, you're doing this to satisfy your own sensation of self-righteousness. Trash like you is the reason humans look down on mages!"

"I'm fine with being trash!" screamed Elfman in anger. "But I will not let you call my friends trash! I won't stand for it!"

Rustyrose sighed and adjusted his glasses. "I am through with this. Someone of your caliber is unable to comprehend the terror of Zeref's horror, and the beauty it carries. When faced with his true power, kneeling and cowering in fear will be your only option."

He then pointed his right arm towards the sky and snapped his fingers. "I am ending this farce of a battle. You have wasted enough of my breath and energy as it is."

"Elfman, he's doing something! Be careful!" warned Evergreen from the sidelines.

"You don't have to tell me...that..." he replied, but his voice gave in to pure terror, as he looked up into the sky, his face paling.

"Giving such a poetic end is too big of a praise, but I am willing to endure this for the sake of the view I am about to witness." smirked Rustyrose.

Elfman could only stare in fear, as a meteor of the size of a carriage, maybe even bigger, was slowly, but surely descending onto the island. It was headed directly at him.

Disregarding his opponent completely, Elfman quickly turned on the balls of his feet and dashed towards Evergreen as fast as he could, in the meantime re-entering his Lizardman form. He grabbed his partner and picked her up, hugging her figure closely to his torso, as he continued to run. It was only then she spotted the incoming rock, and froze in his arms, not a single sound escaping her mouth.

"Run, oh fairies. Try to escape this end of yours, but know, that it is futile." hummed Rustyrose and motioned his hands in the air, as if he was playing an instrument. "Return to the earth, and become the foundation for the superior race befitting of ruling this world."

The meteor crashed into the island, shaking it to its very core. A powerful shockwave spread across the entire island, knocking down everyone unprepared.

Rustyrose hid behind two massive, steel shields and watched the destruction in pure bliss. In the meantime, on the other side of the battlefield, Evergreen stared at Elfman with wide eyes, as he covered her from the danger with his own body. His scales were completely ripped off, more lacerations decorating his body, but both of them were okay.

"You okay?" he asked her through pain.

"Yeah...thanks." she replied and looked away, embarrassed. "I think I've figured out his magic, or at least how it works."

Elfman groaned and got off her, reverting back to his normal form in the meantime. "What did you realise?"

"Cannons, meteors, earth clones, beasts...no matter how we look at it, he's summoning those things, and they simply don't match themselves. Or so it would seem..."

Evergreen stood up and grabbed her aching left shoulder. "I'm guessing by a long shot here, but I think his magic allows him to summon stuff he's seen, or experienced in his life before. Which means, that he probably has access to many different things we haven't seen yet."

"How does knowing this help us?" asked Elfman.

"Did you notice? He can't hold more than one summoning for long. When he struck me with that arm of his, the beast you were fighting disappeared seconds later, while his arm stayed like that for longer. I think that the more stuff he summons, the shorter their life is."

"In other words, if we were to force him to summon more than just one thing..." wondered Elfman.

"We could tire him out, or weaken him, giving us a chance." finished his thought Ever. "His glasses are the main problem. If you could take them off, I'd petrify him, and that'd be the end of it."

Elfman sighed through his nose and cracked his neck. "Well, we don't have too many options here. Let's do this."

The pair nodded to each other and took one last deep breath, before running out of the dust cloud they were hiding in. Their charge took Rustyrose by surprise, but he quickly retaliated by summoning a new set of cannons. This time, however, the pair was ready and took the first shot, with Evergreen sending a wave of magic bullets, while Elfman through a rock, both of which forced the Kin to change his position.

Elfman quickly dashed at Rusty and jumped in the air, his right fist retracted. In response to that, the Kin summoned his black arm once again and struck Elfman in his left side. The giant tanked the strike and wrapped his arms around the arm, holding it in place.

"Gotcha." he smirked to surprised, blood flowing down the corner of his mouth. Elfman gripped the arm harder and smirked to himself. "The foundation of Take Over is knowing your opponent, isn't that right...Sis?" Soon after, his right arm started to glow, much to Rustyrose's shock. "This arm is mine now!" exclaimed the giant and retracted his right arm back, which was now the perfect copy of the one he's been holding with his left hand.

"My Jet Black Sword!" gasped the Kin and put up a guard with his left arm, at the same time reciting another mantra. "That which dwells in my left hand is a golden shield, that pushes back everything!"

Elfman's punch was stopped at the last possible moment, as it struck a massive, heavy golden shield that appeared in Rusty's left hand. The Kin smirked and peeked out from behind the shield. "How naive. Things are not that easy, you know-" his taunt was stopped by the sight of Elfman holding his glasses in his left hand, which were then destroyed into pieces. "My real target were your glasses!" said Elfman. "Ever!"

Evergreen smirked and pulled her hair behind her ear. "Only the Thunder Legion is allowed to shorten my name like this, but today, I'll make an exception for you!"

"Oh shi-" gasped Rustyrose.

"Good job, Elfman." smirked Ever and opened her eyes wider.

 _ **STONE EYES!**_

Rustyrose screamed loud in agony, making Evergreen's smirk widen in joy. That, however, was shortlived, as Rustyrose quickly stopped screaming and snickered in amusement, before smashing Elfman to the ground with his shield, much to her shock.

Before she could react, she was also struck by the golden shield, which blew her back.

"H...how?!" gasped Elfman from the ground.

"Why didn't my Stone Eyes work?!" despaired Evergreen. Her eyes widened in shock upon looking up.

Rustyrose was once again wearing his glasses, the very same Elfman destroyed a minute earlier.

"Glasses?! But I just destroyed them!" yelled Elfman.

"The power of imagination has no boundaries." smirked the Kin and adjusted his new glasses. "My magic is **Arc of Embodiment** , the power to materialize anything I want from my imagination."

"That's just ridiculous..." said Ever, close to bursting into tears out of frustration.

"The embodiment of dreams is connected to the root of all magic. Of course, there are many restrictions, limitations, and laws that I must obey. I could very easily kill myself with this magic if I was careless. However, for someone such as me, it is an invincible, and undefeated magic! I have never been bested in my whole life!" exclaimed Rustyrose through laughter.

"Damn...it..." groaned Elfman, too tired to move.

"Now then, it is time to finish this." the Kin snapped his fingers. "Come forth, Tower of Dingir! Devour and crush these fairies with all your sadness, and return them to the earth!"

A giant tower began to grow out of the ground, swallowing Elfman and Evergreen in, rendering them immobile.

"Elfman...I'm sorry." said Evergreen through tears. "If someone else was your partner, this wouldn't have happened..."

The giant looked at her in shock, but smiled shortly afterwards. "You idiot...it's because of you I got this far. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

Evergreen looked at him with teary eyes and reached out to him with her hand. "Elfman..."

"Thank you, Ever."

"Scatter to the depths of darkness, trash." ordered Rustyrose and swiped his right arm to the side.

As soon as Elfman's hand touched his partner's, the pair was taken in by a pillar of white energy, that swallowed them whole. Soon after the entire tower was taken in, as the pillar expanded further and further with each second. Rustyrose adjusted his glasses once again and turned away from the scene, before leaving. After a minute, the pillar dispelled, revealing a large crater, with unconscious Elfman and Evergreen lying in the very center of it, their hands still connected.

Fairy Tail has received yet another defeat.

* * *

 **Near the shore of Tenrou Island**

"Hurry, tend to the wounded!" ordered Lahar to his men, who were currently trying to save their comrades, put out the fire and save the drowning at the same time. "Repairs to the facility can wait until later! Do not let your fellow comrades die in here, that is an order!"

"Yes, sir!"

Lahar sighed stressfully and looked around. It was terrible. Over a half of his men was dead already, taken in by the initial explosion. The rest was either dying, or died from fire and collateral damage that came in the form of sharp pieces of wood and metal flying in all directions. He himself was wounded, his hurt forehead already wrapped in the piece of his cloak he ripped in order to stop the bleeding.

It took the enemy one attack to render their forces completely useless and defenseless. The powerlessness was slowly getting to him, the unfamiliar sensation of anger filling every inch of his being. Was the Council really this hopeless?

"Those, who can move, follow me!" he ordered out loud. "We are going to charge onto the island! All men prepared for battle should-"

His orders interrupted by Mest, who teleported right behind him, startling the man. Lahar turned around and his gaze softened, seeing that his friend was safe. "Doranbolt! I am so glad to see you're safe! What are those wounds?!" he asked in concern, only now noticing the burns and cuts on his friend's body.

"I'm fine." replied Doranbolt. "How's the ship? What's the situation?"

"The worst. We've lost many men, and this ship can barely float on the ocean. We'll have to move onto emergency boats, that have somehow survived."

"And the communication lacrima?"

"in tact, we're calling for backup as we speak. What the hell happened on that island?!"

"Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart and Zeref. A three-way war has started in there. Grimoire Heart was the one who attacked the ship, Fairy Tail is fighting them off as we speak."

"Grimoire Heart….and Zeref?!" gasped shocked Lahar.

"I am borrowing the lacrima! I have to contact the HQ!" said Doranbolt and passed his friend, heading towards the communication room.

"Three biggest obstacles in the magic world...gathered in one place?! The sheer thought is too ridiculous to even consider!" said Lahar and massaged the bridge of his nose, completely lost. "If we report this catastrophy to the HQ...there's a chance the Light will be dropped..."

Doranbolt stopped in his tracks and quickly turned around, distraught. "Etherion?!"

"If it comes to that, we'll have to obey our orders and act accordingly."

"Wait a second!" yelled Doranbolt. "It is true Fairy Tail is not on the best terms with the Council, but they do not deserve to be put in the same bag as Zeref, or Grimoire Heart!"

"If it makes you feel better, then know that I agree with you, however, it is not for us to decide." stated grimly Lahar.

Doranbolt lowered his head and clenched his fists in frustration. He'd lie if he said he didn't enjoy his time spend at the guild, even if he was an undercover agent tasked with taking it down. The sheer thoughts of seeing them being vaporized pained him greatly.

"Now please, contact the HQ." ordered Lahar and walked away to regroup his forces.

* * *

"The Ultimate world of magic, you say?" repeated Loke and scoffed sarcastically. "What a load of crap."

"You're going to erase humans unable to use magic?!" asked Cana.

"It doesn't make sense!" exclaimed Lucy. "No one will benefit from this! It will be a horrible world!"

Gray did not say a thing, his glare of disgust speaking for him.

The group was currently standing before Caprico, who'd just finished explaining his guild's goal.

"It is true that I have also do not fully understand Master Hades' motives, but I believe that only those who know the abyss of magic can." stated calmly the Kin. "Zeref is on this island, that is a fact. When we get our hands on him, the world will be enveloped in magic, it will be reborn."

"Cut the bullshit!" said Gray and punched the palm of his hand. "You need a better reason to barge into our territory like this!"

"Master Hades has given us two missions." said Caprico and lowered himself, ready to strike. "One, to find the Black Mage Zeref, and bring him on board out ship. The other being the complete annihilation of Fairy Tail."

"I'd like to see you try." smirked Gray.

"Wait." Loke stepped in and extended his arm, alarming his comrades to stay where they are. "I'll take care of this guy. Since he's one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, it means there are six more like him. Go look for the others, and help them."

"What are you talking about?" frowned Gray. "All 4 of us couldn't take him on, and you want to do it alone?"

"That's because there is more to his magic than you think." explained calmly Loke. "He uses **Human Subordination Magic** , He can momentarily weaken humans' magic and battle skills, taking away vast chunks of their power. However..."

His body started to glow, and after couple seconds, he was back in his trademark suit, now in his spirit form. "...it will not work on me, a spirit. And, as you've probably realised by now, he's also a spirit. The Spirit of Goat, Capricorn."

Lucy frowned sadly, while the others looked at him in shock. "Loke, I..."

"Do not speak a single word." he ordered her harshly and pointed at Capricorn with his finger. "I request a one-on-one duel between spirits, Capricorn!"

Capricorn's sunglasses reflected the light, as he adjusted them. "I see. I was wondering whether you've forgotten you're a spirit yourself, Leo. I accept your challenge."

Loke nodded to his opponent and turned to his friends. "Everyone, please, go now."

"But, Loke..." began Lucy.

"Hurry up and go!"

His scream was sudden and terrifying. Lucy stared at the back of his head, stunned. She then felt a tug on her collar, as Gray grabbed her shirt and started to drag her away from the scene. "We can't fight this guy, not with our magic being weakened. Let's leave this to him!"

"But..."

"It's hard for me, too, Lucy, but Gray's right." said soothly Cana. "Still, he didn't have to yell like that..."

"I'm sure there's more to it." said Gray. "He's not that kind of a guy."

Lucy watched her spirit in concern, and freed herself from Gray's grip. "Loke!" she called out to him.

The spirit turned to her, annoyed she was still here. Lucy put her right hand on her chest and pierced him with a stare he's never seen from her before. "You better come back to me, you hear me?! No matter what!"

Her order was easy, and yet reassuring. Loke couldn't help but smile at how much strength her words gave him.

Capricorn watched the blonde and frowned gently. "I will not let them escape. This girl..."

It took Loke a moment to lit up his right fist and plant it deep into the goat's stomach, knocking every bit of air out of his body. Capricorn gasped in pain, but still managed to swipe his fingers in the air.

Loke heard three screams behind him and turned around, only to see his friends being sucked in by three purple portals. He pulled his arm out and let Capricorn drop to his knees before him.

"Guys!" he called out to them and started to run in their direction, only to see them vanishing in the air along with the portals. "What did you do with them?!"

"I have scattered them over the island at random locations." explained the kneeling goat. "If I am unable to pursue them, then the least I can do is split them up and render them unable to rely on each other. Now, then..." he said and stood up, while dusting his suit. "It is my turn to ask questions. This blonde woman...she is your master, is she not?"

Loke bent his knees and lit his hands in light once again.

"You talk too much."

* * *

Lucy fell out of the portal with a scream, before falling onto her butt. She winced from pain and slowly stood up, before looking around. "Gray? Cana?!" she called out, silence being her only answer. "What was that…?" she wondered under her nose and scratched her head. "Looks like we've been separated...I better start looking for someone, before-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was blasted away by a wave of wind, that knocked her out of the bushes she landed in, straight onto a plain on the west shore of the island.

Lucy rolled on the ground for couple meters, before stopping herself by digging her nails into the ground. She quickly stood up and put her hand on her key holster, with a figure walking out of the shadows.

"I guess I've just received a gift." said a young girl, not older than Lucy. She was wearing a red sleeveless shirt with Grimoire Heart's logo imprinted on its front, along with white shorts that reached down her mid-thigh. She had high black boots and two knives holstered by each of her hips. She had short, black hair with messy bangs covering her blue eyes. "Hello there."

"Who are you?" asked Lucy, cautious of the girl's next move.

"Name's Rica. Sorry beautiful, but you'll have to die here." said the girl and created cyclones of winds in each of her hands. "Master's orders."

Lucy gulped and opened her holster. She felt like she's been literally thrown into the eye of a cyclone. And, against beliefs, it was not calm.

* * *

Natsu wrapped his scarf back on his neck and cracked it, at the same time moving his fingers around in order to test them. Wendy has finally healing his injuries, or at least sealing them shut. Some of the skin grew back on his burns, and his cuts were practically gone.

"Thanks, Wendy." he smiled at the girl and gently tousled her hair.

"Now then, I think we can move further at a bigger pace." proposed Pantherlily. "Master no longer needs treatment during the travel, and Natsu is back at 100%. At this rate, we will reach the camp in no time."

"Actually..." threw in Natsu. "...you guys go without me. I've got something to do."

Carla looked at him, shocked. "Do you even hear yourself? We have to stay together, otherwise-"

"Gramps doesn't need any more healing for now, plus, there are still other people out there, who may be hurt, or in danger." interrupted her Natsu. "I'm gonna go and start finding others one by one. Then, I will find you guys and we will go to the camp together. There is a cave, right over there" he pointed at the small hill in the distance, with the entrance to the cave visible even from their current spot. "Go there, and wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I find someone."

"But-" Wendy tried to reason with him, but Lily tugged her skirt with his paw to stop her.

"He's right." said the Exceed, earning him shocked looks from the girls.

"Even you?" sighed Carla.

"If nobody has attacked us here for this long, then it means the enemy has not reached this far. Besides, the distance between here and that cave is very small. We can fly there with no problems, while Natsu looks for others. We can move from cave to cave, and slowly, but surely pick up our members one by one. By the time we reach the camp, we will have everyone with us." reasoned Lily, with Natsu nodding to him in approval.

The tabby did not have an argument for this. She simply sighed and nodded, the idea of flying their way convincing her more than she'd like to admit.

"So, there you have it. I'll be back soon." stretched Natsu and started to walk out of the cave. I can smell someone already anyway."

"Natsu!" called out to him Wendy.

The older Dragon slayer turned around and looked at her concerned face, as she walked up to him. "Be careful."

Natsu smiled gently and patted her head. "Yeah." he threw in farewell, and left the cave, before running off into the wild.

Carla massaged her temples and spread her wings. "I can't believe you let him go. We still need to-"

"He's going to hunt for the Kin." said quietly Lily and also spread his wings. This earned him a shocked look from the tabby.

"You knew that, and you still let him go?!"

"We wouldn't be able to stop him, even if we wanted to. It's better this way. As long as he doesn't run into this Zancrow person, he should be alright. Anyone he meets on his way will be safe with him. Let's focus on our task and relocate." he said and gently picked Makarov up by his armpits and lifted the elder in the air. "Wendy, we're going."

Wendy bit her lip gently and nodded. She was currently praying that what she's seen a moment ago was just the work of her imagination, but deep down, she knew that it might as well be denial.

Because the look he had in his eyes when he left, has, once again, rendered her unable to determine who exactly left the cave right now.

And it was becoming terrifying.

 **End of Chapter 24. To be continued in Chapter 25: Taboo.**

* * *

 **Not really something worthy of being a comeback chapter, but I tried to make it as interesting as possible.**

 **I have altered Rusty's magic a little. It might seem powerful and OP, but I've made sure to make it well balanced. You'll see.**

 **I have decided to completely erase the part where Cana literally betrays Lucy and almost gets her killed. Instead, I had Zoldeo splitting them, and I will have them fight some OC's of the caliber of Yowazu and Kawazu. These fights won't be long, and will tie in with the story quite nicely.**

 **Next chapter will focus on Loke and Zoldeo, as well as Lucy and Cana. As promised, it will be up next week.**

 **Sorry for the break once again, and thank you for being here for me. I love you guys.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed the chapter! see you soon!**


	26. Taboo

**PLEASE READ THIS NOTE BEFORE GETTING TO THE CHAPTER! IT'S VERY IMPORTANT!**

 **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

 **Right, before I get into this, I owe you an apology. Long story short, my PC broke down one day before I wanted to upload this chapter, and being the moron I am, I did not post it into the docs. Which means that in order to publish it, I had to wait to get my PC back from repairs, which I did this afternoon. So, yay.**

 **This chapter is short and slightly filler, because it was supposed to be posted in the same week as Ch 24. Next ones will be much better.**

 **Also, I have decided to drop following the manga. Many of you keep telling me the story dropped in quality, and I felt it too. I feel trapped, caged in by the canon material...but no more. Starting with this chapter, I am stopping following it and I will make Tenrou my own original Arc. I will go back to my roots and once again believe in my own writing, the one so many of you fell in love with in Seven Commandments Arc. This rule will also apply to all future Arcs.**

 **I will keep the important events and battles as they are, but dialogue, minor events, interactions, order of events - they're all going to be changed, with my own original additions.**

 **Also, you guys told me I am dragging this arc out. I am not. This is how long it takes to get this arc done in the forms of writing. The chapter that contains Makarov vs Hades was worth 100 pages of manga material. The arc itself is simply this long.**

 **This chapter contains two new OC's, who will keep Lucy and Cana some company.**

 **Also, at the end of each new chapter, I will be leaving a short list of changes that I made.**

 **Thank you for understanding, and enjoy the chapter! The next one will not take as long, I swear.**

* * *

Loke grabbed his wrist with his hand and lit up his fist, before dashing and punching Capricorn right in the jaw. The spirit was blown away and crashed right into the wall of the nearby ruins, and fell through. He regained his footing and slid on the ground, with one hand on the ground to kill the momentum.

Loke followed him through the wall, only to be brutally kneed in the stomach, which took breath out of his lungs. He grabbed the leg with his left hand to secure his opponent in one place and elbowed the Kin in the jaw with his right, causing both men to break contact, as they both slid backwards.

"How many years has it been since you've vanished from the Spirit Realm?" asked Loke, before dashing once again.

"Seventeen." calmly replied the goat and blocked his punch with his left forearm, before throwing a strike of his own, which was also blocked. Both men secured themselves in a power struggle, one that was slowly shifting in favor of Capricorn.

"I refuse to believe you've found yourself a human capable of keeping you in here for so long. Who is your master?"

"I do not have a master." replied Capricorn and headbutted Loke, before kicking him in the gut and jumping back. "I, myself, am a Master, who uses humans to his will."

As he proclaimed so, the Kin swiped his fingers in the air.

 ** _OPEN: HERO OF RUBENGARD! SAN JAO SHIN!_**

Before Loke could even react, he was struck with a spear by a man clad in armor. The cut was shallow, but powerful, knocking the spirit back and causing him to cough up blood and spit. With his purpose fulfilled, the human vanished in thin air, leaving confused and shocked Loke on his knees.

"What...what was that?!" he gasped and looked at Capricorn, seeking answers.

"The young, genius general San Jao Shin, who led the army of rebels in the civil war of Rubengard in X799. According to the official files, he's gone missing in action, but the truth is that he's become my subordinate." explained Capricorn.

"You can...summon a human?! That's ridiculous!"

"Now, allow me to come back to my earlier question, the one you've so aggressively tried to take my attention away from. Let's talk about your Master."

Loke grit his teeth and stood up. "What for?"

The goat raised his eyebrows. "So that I can make her my subordinate as well, obviously. I've already figured out that it's the woman with blonde hair."

Loke's face was the pure definition of a giveaway. He took couple deep breaths, assessing his damage.

"You wish to fight me one on one? Wrong. You've challenged me so that she could escape. Although you have technically fulfilled your task, finding this woman after I dispose of you will be a trivial matter to deal with. Your noble sacrifice will buy her an additional hour of life. How unsightly the duty of a spirit is..."

Capricorn stopped mocking his opponent, and stared at him with his eyes wide open. "Wait a moment...this woman..."

Loke clenched his teeth and kicked the ground as hard as he could, before driving his fist deep into his opponent's stomach. Capricorn's figure bent in half, which allowed Loke to kick him underneath the chin and then strike his stomach once again. He's noticed! I must deal with him as fast as I can, before-

Loke's rush was broken by a powerful punch to the gut, that dropped him to his knees. Capricorn grabbed him by his suit and threw him to the side like a sack of potatoes, before wiping the blood off his lips.

"Your reaction only confirms it. That woman...is Layla Heartfillia's daughter!"

Loke quickly stood up and put up his fists, ready to strike again at any time.

"I shall not allow her to breathe any minute longer!" roared Capricorn, veins popping on his forehead. "Where is that woman?!"

* * *

Lucy carefully walked in a circle around Rica, who continued to stare at her with amusement.

"You know, no matter how long you walk around me, you're not really gonna find any openings to use." said the girl with amusement. "If you're in a mood to play games, then..."

Rica canceled her tornados and cut the air with her arm. Although Lucy couldn't see anything, she knew that nothing good was coming her way. She dropped to her knees and felt something fly above her head, only to then hear a weird sound behind her. When she turned around, she noticed that the trees behind her have been cut in half, and have now started to slowly make their way towards the ground. Lucy gulped loudly, becoming even more anxious.

"I may act friendly, but my job is to kill you, you know. Sorry." said the girl, and for a moment, Lucy thought she could spot a small glimpse of regret in her voice.

"I'm getting used to it, you know." said the blonde and pulled out a key from her holster. If her wind is powerful enough to cut through trees, then she will most likely blow away most of my spirits. Scorpio and Aquarius are out of the question, as well as Aries and Sagittarius. That means my only chance at beating her is by using my power-type spirits.

 _ **OPEN: GATE OF BULL! TAURUS!**_

Rica let out an impressed sound, as she watched Taurus materialize in front of Lucy. The spirit roared loudly and smashed his axe into the ground, causing it to shake.

"Huh, so you summon spirits." pointed out Rica. "I'm kinda disappointed. After I'm through with them, you won't be too much of an enjoyment."

"If you get through my spirits, you mean." said Lucy with a smirk. "Taurus, she's an enemy!" she said to her spirit and pointed with her hand.

"I'm not too fond of fighting ladies, but your wish is my command!" announced the spirit and dashed at the girl, his axe ready to strike.

Rica merely grinned and sent another blade of air in Lucy's direction, only to be parried by Taurus. This caught Rica's attention and made her slightly more serious. She sent out three more blades, all of them blocked or countered by Taurus and his axe.

With each block, Taurus was getting closer and closer, and with the final one out of his way, he ran up to the girl and struck his hammer down at her, forcing her to jump away to the side. He followed her and swiped to his left, only to be dodged when Rica leaned back so much the weapon went above her nose. She raised her right hand and blasted the spirit with a wave of air, which slightly pushed him back, but was ineffective otherwise.

"You'll have to try better than that!" said proudly Taurus and smashed his axe where Rica was just a second ago. This pissed the girl off.

"Looks like I won't be able to get rid of you with just one hand." she murmured and stood up, before sliding her legs to the side, widely apart from each other. She extended her hands in front of her body and took a deep breath, her aim locked on charging Taurus.

 ** _AIR CANNON!_**

Taurus was blasted with the same wave of air as previously, only this time it was twice as powerful. This proved to be too much for him, and his feet lost contact with the ground, followed by his body smashing into nearby trees, breaking them in the process. Lucy has also been knocked off her feet by the wind, and grabbed on to a root sticking out of the ground to prevent herself from being blasted like her spirit was.

After couple seconds Rica canceled her attack and exhaled deeply, a smile forming on her face. "There. Nice and quiet."

Lucy groaned from pain and opened her eyes, which widened in shock at the sight of the devastation caused by Rica's wind magic. To her horror, Taurus was nowhere to be found.

"Taurus!" she called out to him and quickly stood up to her feet.

"I wouldn't come close to him if I were you!" warned her Rica with a smile and swiped her arm to the right. In the meantime, Taurus ran out of the trees and charged at the girl again, only to be slashed by a blade of wind. The attack caused him to stagger and lose his balance, which was used against him by Rica, who struck him with three more blades, effectively turning him into pieces of light.

"Miss….Lucy..." he groaned, before vanishing in the air, forced to go back to his Realm due to his injuries.

"No way..." gasped Lucy, and noticed that Rica was winding up again. She had only mere seconds to throw herself to the side and avoid having her head cut off.

"You know, running will only make it worse!" shouted the girl and clapped her hands.

 _ **AIR PRISON!**_

In an instant Lucy was surrounded by four high walls of wind, that successfully blocked her way out. Although she was imprisoned, she had plenty of room inside. She gently picked up a couple of stones that had been lying by her feet and threw them at one of the walls. To her horror, the stones have been turned to dust in less than a second, the sight grimly making her imagine her own body in their stead.

"I'm kinda short on time, so this will have to do." shouted Rica from outside of the jail. "I'm pretty sure you're gonna jump all over the place if we do it the honorable way, so we won't do that. This thing will close itself in few minutes, so I'd better think of a way out if I were you."

The girl cracked her neck and turned around, stretching her arms above her head in the meantime. "I'm out. If I see any of your friends, I'll let them know we've met. See you later, blondie." she threw in farewell and started to walk away into the jungle, leaving puzzled Lucy inside the wind prison. Or so she thought.

Despite her tough situation, Lucy grinned and reached out to her holster. "Sorry, but unfortunately for you, I've got some experience behind my belt." she said, the key she pulled out glowing dangerously.

* * *

 **E Route**

Cana threw herself to the side and rolled on the ground, before throwing several of her cards at the knives flying in her direction. She managed to knock down all but one, which forced her to slip her head to the side. Despite that, the blade managed to scratch her cheek, small drops of blood flowing down her skin.

Cana scoffed and wiped her cheek with her sleeve, before standing to her feet. She was currently fighting a female member of Grimoire Heart named Sasha, who specialized in Requipped knives. They were currently fighting in an already damaged, busted cave that – unbeknownst to both of them – was the place Natsu and Gildarts had their battle few hours earlier.

The broken ground was acting heavily against Cana, who's been on the defense ever since the fight has begun. Unfortunately for her, her opponent was much more nimble and acrobatic, as well as deadly.

"Quite quick at running away, aren't ya?" mocked her Sasha and licked one of her knives. She was a young woman, older than Cana, with cold, green eyes and shoulder length blonde hair. She was wearing a dark-blue tanktop with brown cargo pants that stored many holsters for knives on both of her thighs. Her guild mark was tattooed on the right side of her neck. She had heavy combat boots and expressed herself in a manner that was more fitting for a man, rather than woman.

"You just suck at throwing knives." taunted her Cana with a grin, which earned her another wave of knives flying in her direction. However this time, instead of running, she calmly pulled out a card and held it before her face.

 _ **STONE WALL!**_

A narrow wall grew out from the ground before her, successfully blocking the blades. Knowing full well that it acted against her in terms of vision, she quickly canceled it, her fears becoming reality, with Sasha already gone from her previous spot. She was directly above the brunette and sent another set of knives that rained down on her. Cana placed a card on the ground and jumped to the side, with Sasha and the knives falling where she previously stood. Cana smirked and snapped her fingers.

 _ **SWAMP!**_

The ground beneath Sasha's feet liquefied and started to drag her down. Although it was not strong enough to fully take her out of commission, it was just enough to allow Cana to throw another set of cards at the blonde. She swiftly dodged them and retaliated with her knives, which were once again blocked.

"Your aim sucks." scoffed Sasha and ripped her feet out of the swamp with brute force, before jumping back. "You keep throwing this shit around, and yet you haven't hit me even once."

Cana smirked and gestured with the index and middle fingers of her right hand. Before the blonde could ask what was that for, she felt something sliding on her cheek, with something warm flowing down her face a second later. Sasha touched her face and examined her wet hand, finding blood on her fingers, courtesy of her freshly cut cheek.

Cana caught the card and swiped it to the side to shake the blood off.

"I'm sorry, you were saying?" she asked her with a grin and took in the sight of her furious opponent with pleasure.

The girl yelled something back angrily, but Cana was too distracted to listen to it. She watched her surroundings with great care, trying to come up with possible escape routes from the upcoming waves of weapons. She took in the craters, debris, the hole in the ceiling, as well as the dying flames in the corners. Now it made sense why this place looked like a battlefield. It's because it was.

Cana's thoughts then shifted to Lucy. If she herself was all alone, then that meant so was she. She then thought of the idea Lucy had gotten before the attack, and that it could have been the key to passing the exam, How nice it'd be to hear it…

Cana shook her head aggressively and killed these thoughts. The Exam was not the priority here – it was survival. She cursed herself at the back of her mind for trying to be selfish again, and carefully watched Sasha dash at her right knives stored in-between her fingers. She pulled out more cards and focused on her enemy, thinking of how to successfully and swiftly pull out her strategy.

Clock was ticking.

* * *

Loke and Zoldeo continue to glare at one another, the latter's patience wearing thin.

"As long as that woman lives..." he grit his teeth and motioned his fingers in the air, with another gate opening before him. "Hunter of Belparaso: Samagui! Go and kill Layla Heartfillia's heir!"

The summoned human nodded and rushed into the island, or rather tried to. He was stopped by a powerful strike to the back of his head, that heavily rocked him and smashed him into the ground, forcing him to back to his world.

"Try again." mocked him Loke and adjusted his glasses.

Capricorn roared in fury and opened several gates at once, multiple fighters and warriors from different ages attacking Loke all at once.

The spirit merely cracked his neck and lit up his fist so bright it blinded Capricorn, despite his sunglasses. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that his summonings have been purified, their figures leaving small traces of smoke in the air.

Blind with fury, Capricorn threw himself and Loke and tried to hit him with a wide right hook. It was easily dodged by Loke, who ducked underneath it and plunged his fist in his opponent's stomach, before kicking him away. He ran after him and delivered yet another kick that landed on Capricorn's left cheek, and forced him to slide backwards on the balls of his feet.

"According to Crux, you've made a pact with Layla 20 years ago. I don't really know, nor care what kind of a deal you've made in the human world, but after Layla's death, your current Master should be Lucy – her daughter. Even if she doesn't know it herself." said Loke. "What the hell happened to you, Capricorn?" he asked with a gentle, concerned frown. Despite being enemies at the moment, he still cared for his old friend.

Capricorn's expression eased up and he exhaled gently through his nose, his body loosening up. "Taboo." he replied shortly.

Loke's eyes narrowed in slight confusion, as the goat started to chuckle to himself under his nose.

"Every magic has its tolls and limitations, rules that should not be broken. I broke one of those, I've committed taboo. As a result, I got this body!" he yelled and laughed in ironic fashion, creeping Loke out. "I'm a goat! Isn't that hilarious?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked him grimly Loke and took a step back, not particularly fond of what might follow this outburst.

"You know, I've been starting to miss my human form." said Capricorn and licked his lips. "The timing is perfect."

Loke jumped back and lit up his fists, completely unwilling to participate in Capricorn's sick plans. The goat simply grinned and suddenly vanished in thin air, shocking Loke.

"Calm down, Leo. I can't afford to damage you any further, you know." the spirit heard a whisper behind him.

To his horror, it was Capricorn, who managed to get behind his back, his kick already in motion.

"What's wrong with this speed?!" gasped Loke under his nose, and felt his ribs bending under the pressure of the goat's kick. He was blown away like a ragdoll and smashed into the nearby wall, breaking it in the process. He clutched his torso and coughed aggressively, breathing coming with problems.

Capricorn cracked his neck and raised his hands, before chanting.

 _ **HUMAN SUBORDINATION MAGIC: HUMARAISE!**_

"I'm a spirit, remember?" groaned Loke and stood up to his feet. "This magic will not work on me."

"Yes, that itself is taboo. I am unable to cast this magic on someone who is not human." explained calmly Capricorn. "Those who do, however..."

The dots in Loke's head connected in an instant. "You bastar-"

"Fuse with their target!" finished the goat with a mad grin.

"So you're actually a human who fused with Capricorn?!" yelled Loke and dashed at the goat with his fist raised.

"That's exactly right! And now, I'm going to take your body, Leo!"

Loke punched Capricorn as hard as he could, the light from his fist lighting the ruins in bright-orange light. To his horror, he spotted a black, misty figure levitating over his old friend, that merely grinned and launched itself at him, before getting into his mouth.

After couple seconds of struggling, Loke gasped loudly and exhaled, before smirking to himself.

He looked down at his figure and examined his hands, before hissing in pain.

"Oh, that's right...The wound I, or rather he inflicted on me…Eh, not as annoying as I expected it to be." he murmured to himself under his nose and punched his left hand, before blowing into full out laughter. Loke's body has been possessed, and the previous vessel was now lying on the ground, unconscious.

"I'm finally human again..." he cried with joy and looked down at his old body. "Well, I guess I gotta thank you for all these years. Though, after taking a hit from Leo, you're probably gonna be out for hours." he then stretched his back and grinned again. "My name is Leo. My master is Lucy." he chanted to himself like a spell. "And by killing this whore...I shall become a complete human!" he finished, a mad laugh escaping his mouth.

* * *

Rica tapped her foot on the ground and whistled out of boredom, as she watched Lucy's prison slowly closing in on itself. "I guess it's over by now." she hummed under her nose and carefully watched the size of the prison. "No way she fits in there anymore."

Bored and slightly disappointed, she wanted to walk away in search of a new target, but something caught her attention. If Lucy was truly dead, then there would be blood. Lots of it. And yet, whatever it was that was under the cage of wind was definitely not blood. If anything, it looked like…

She took couple of slow steps forward, and before she could properly squint her eyes to take a better look, Rica felt the ground beneath her feet crumble, as she fell into a hole. She managed to spread her arms to the sides to avoid falling all the way in, her legs dangling above the deep, but narrow hole.

"What the..." she grunted, irritated, before spotting something coming out from beneath the ground. To her shock, it was Lucy, who climbed out of the hole, with another girl with pink hair in a maid outfit following her suit.

"It worked!" announced happily the blonde and dusted her clothes off, completely unharmed by the walls of wind. "Thanks, Virgo!" she said cheerfully and raised her hand, giving her spirit a high five.

"Your praise honors me, Princess." said the spirit and gently bowed to her Master after receiving the high five. "Will I be of any more assistance?"

"No, you can go home now. Thank you." said Lucy with a smile.

The maid bowed and vanished, leaving the two women alone to themselves.

Rica's forehead was pulsing with irritation, as she swiftly jumped out of the hole and dusted her shorts off. "You sure it's okay to send your only line of defense away? I'm not gonna give you any more chances, blondie."

"That's okay, you've given me plenty already." smirked Lucy and pulled out a key from her holster.

"Too slow!" yelled Rica and took couple steps forward, with a tornado forming in her right hand. To her surprise, she felt the ground beneath her feet break again, and she has once again found herself in a hole.

"What the..." she grumbled and jumped out, landing several feet away, only to fall into yet another hole. "What the hell have you done?!" she squeaked in a very girly voice and slowly started to crawl her way back to the surface.

"Since you've given me all this time while I was trapped, me and Virgo have decided to repay the favor." explained Lucy. "The entire plain we're currently on is a minefield. Even I don't know where to stand without falling down myself."

"Then you're simply in as much shit as I am." deduced Rica. "Can't say I'm impressed."

"That's okay." smiled Lucy "Because I'm finishing this."

"You're not finishing shit!" yelled Rica and used her wind to push herself out of the hole. While in the air, she pushed her arms out and sent a powerful wave of wind at Lucy, blowing her away like a piece of paper. The blonde smashed into a tree far ahead and gasped from the impact, her key falling out of her hand.

Rica did not finish there. She turned in the air and sent multiple blades in Lucy's direction, forcing her to awkwardly run away to avoid being sliced in half. One of the blades caught her right shoulder, leaving a shallow, but nasty cut.

Seeing that she drew blood, the girl grinned and sent another wave of blades, one of them cutting Lucy's escape route off. Just when she was about to be turned into pieces, the ground beneath her feet crumbled, as she luckily stepped on a hole made by Virgo earlier.

Rica scoffed in annoyance, before spreading her arms to the sides and expanding her wind currents in all directions. The attack triggered all of the landmines, all of the holes popping out one by one. After a whole minute of crumbling, all of the traps have been revealed, allowing Rica to take her path without risking falling down once again.

Lucy started to crawl her way out of the hole, her breathing heavy.

"This time, you're out of tricks, blondie." hissed Rica. "Time to say goodbye."

The blonde stood to her feet and wiped her dirtied cheek with her wrist, before smirking. "I agree." she said. "Do it now!"

Before her opponent could react, she was blasted high in the air by a powerful pillar of water, that knocked air out of her lungs. The pressure and power of the current was too strong for her to simply escape from, so she had no other choice but endure, and allow herself to be blasted off.

Couple seconds later the pressure reduced, marking the beginning of her counterattack. Or so she thought. As soon as she raised her hand to summon her magic, she felt something wrapping itself around her torso, making it impossible to use her arms. She looked down in anger and spotted Lucy, who used her whip to tie her up, and was now getting ready to pull her back down. The problem was, she was not alone.

Right in front of her stood Scorpio, who grabbed the whip together with his Master, and they both pulled down as hard as they could. They shifted their weight and turned around, before throwing immobile, bound Rica over their shoulder, smashing the girl into the ground with enough power to crack it, and force the already existing holes to become one, giant crater.

Lucy panted heavily, but smirked nonetheless and extended her hand to Scorpio, who replied to her high five with a smirk of his own.

"You sure have some guts today, missy." whispered a menacing voice behind her, making Lucy's hair stand up. "Making me wait down there for so long, calling both of us during our vacation..."

Lucy looked at furious Aquarius and smiled apologetically "I'm sorry, but it was a desperate situation…"

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

"C'mon, there's no need for that." smiled Scorpio and waved his hands, trying to calm down Aquarius. "She needed us, we might as well give her 5 minutes of our time and enjoy ourselves later, right?"

The spirit looked at him, and could not keep up her angry face. She sighed and looked away. "I guess. We're leaving."

"Yes." nodded Lucy with gratitude. "Thank you, enjoy your rest."

Aquarius managed to scoff one last time before disappearing. As soon as both of them went back home, the toll of keeping two spirits at the same time hit Lucy like a dumbbell to the head. She staggered and clutched her head, her vision becoming blurry. "Crap, I think I overdid it..." she mumbled to herself. "I don't have time for this...I need to find Cana and Gray, before-"

Her sentence was cut off by a screaming, injured Rica jumping out of the hole like a bullet. Using her wind to launch herself, she flew right into Lucy and blasted her away with a point-blank wave of air, that blew the blonde backwards. The impact knocked the air out of her body, and as she flew through branches and leaves, skin all over her body was being dosed with more and more cuts.

Rica launched herself at Lucy one more time and caught up to her, headbutting her into the stomach and wrapping her arms around her torso. Both women continued to fly through the woods, before landing on the ground. They managed to land right before a narrow landslide, and they both rolled down, now no longer in each other's arms.

Lucy's back planted into the ground, ridding her of air once again. She gasped loudly and started to cough, struggling to breathe. Right next to her was Rica, also recovering from the fall.

Lucy sat up and started to crawl backwards on her butt, carefully observing the girl. Her clothes were a mess, cuts and bruises all over her body. Her forehead was split, fresh blood covering half of her face. She was beyond being able to move, let alone fight.

"Just stop this!" Lucy tried to reason with her. "Any more and you'll die!"

Rica spat some blood to the side and smirked through the pain. "Oh, now it concerns you? After you smashed me into the ground like a hammer?"

Lucy bit her lip. Truth to be told, she expected her to be much more durable than she was in reality.

"Guess there's no way around this..." sighed the blonde to herself and tried to stand up, only to be hit by a dull wave of pain all over her body. She looked down and spotted, that she was in no better shape herself.

Her clothes were in ruins, both from the wind and the trees, and her skin was cut and scratched wherever she looked. Only now did she realise, that this itching, burning sensation was in fact pain from her wounds. With her magic being crippled by her usage of spirits, as well as her opponent's poor state, she reached out for her whip, willing to finish the bout with her hand-to-hand skills she was forced to train with Erza.

"Filth from a goody two shoes guild like you has no idea what it means to be at risk." growled Rica and created two small tornado's in her hands. "Being constantly reminded that there are people above you, being forced to prove yourself and earn your keep every single day. As if I'm going to lose to you, you pathetic-"

Lucy slowly blinked, her eyes widening against her will. "Huh?"

She was forced to watch helplessly, unable to physically react, as in a matter of a second, a giant figure popped out from the bushes behind Rica, and struck the girl in her right side with a backhand. The girl's arm caught by the strike broke like a twig, and her eyes and mouth opened wide in agony, before being blasted to the side like a ragdoll, vanishing in the wilds, her mouth leaving a small river of blood in the air, with some of it landing on Lucy's face.

The blonde followed the girl's body with her eyes, before slowly shifting them at the newcomer, horror slowly wrapping its hand around her throat.

The new figure was an enormous man with very pale skin and permed black hair. He looked at his left hand, confused, and scratched his head. "Huh? Who was it that I hit? I heard someone talking, so I ran and hit the first person in my sight but...huh?" he mumbled to himself, ignoring Lucy.

The blonde gulped loudly and took a slow step back, her foot landing on a small twig that broke under the pressure. This alarmed the giant, who looked at her and frowned.

"Hold on a second...I don't know you! You're an enemy!" he deduced and pointed his finger at the girl.

Lucy threw her whip aside and quickly reached out to her keys, opening the holster. Tons of thoughts flew through her head at once, causing her to panic and breathe loudly.

 _Who is this guy?! Where did he come from?! What about that girl, did he kill her?! Which spirit should I use? Can I even summon a spirit?! My magic is low, I have to use it wisely! Should I run? No, he's too fast, he will catch me…_

Her train of thoughts dulled her reaction time, and a second later the man was already in front of her, his hand pulled back, ready to strike.

"Oh well, we've been told to kill everyone on the island anyway." he said, and before Lucy could even react, a dull sound of a body being struck echoed across the area, causing the nearby animals to flee in fear.

* * *

The human in possession of Loke's body laughed to himself maniacally and looked at his new hands, admiring them.

"Lucy believes this body...Perhaps I should act? Yes, that's a great idea Zoldeo...Act, get close to her, and when she's vulnerable – kill her." he mumbled to himself with a smirk. "Or should I keep her as a pet? She is beautiful, almost like her mother...Yes, she'll be my pet first, then I will kill her when I get bored."

He cracked his neck and turned in the direction of the exit. "Well, I best get to it..."

Suddenly, he felt excruciating pain in his torso, as something, or rather someone blew a hole in his stomach. Caprico rose up from the ground and struck fake Loke with orangish light.

"W-what the-" gasped the impostor.

"So this is Regulus at full strength...impressive." murmured Capricorn. "I'm forced to ask you to leave this body at once...Zoldeo."

"This name…!"

A dark grey aura emitted from the wound and launched into the sky, quickly forming into a shape of a man with an afro, who screamed in agony. The man fell to the ground before the spirits and began to whimper.

"Capricorn..." wheezed out Loke.

"My apologies for being this rough. I was unable to think of any other possible way of extracting him from your body." apologized the goat.

"No, it's okay...I know that."

Loke fell to his knees, and was quickly supported by his fellow comrade, who was now back to his senses.

"Why can you move?!" screeched Zoldeo from the floor.

"Just before you could take over his body, Leo gave me Regulus upon impact." explained Capricorn.

"You bastard...back then...you transferred you magic into him?!"

His only response was Loke's smirk.

"It makes no difference! I will simply take you back, even if I need to force myself into-"

His threats were stopped by his body, which started to disintegrate. Before he could even comprehend what was happening to him, his body turned into ashes and scattered with the light breeze, leaving the spirits alone to themselves.

"I have lots of questions to you right now..." groaned Loke and stood up. "But I must go now, and you're probably not in the mood to talk right now."

The goat shook his head. "No, it is quite alright. It happened 20 years ago." He looked at where his captor was in silence, before continuing. "Miss Layla has become sick, and could not continue her work as a mage. When that happened, she'd passed on her three spirits: me, Aquarius and Cancer, to their new Masters. Zoldeo was the one who received my key. However, prior to this event, I had made another pact with Miss Layla. That if she ever came to bear children, I would provide them with my services until the end of time. At first, Zoldeo agreed to it, but was soon consumed by darkness, and in fear of losing me, he committed taboo."

"In other words, your Master has always been Lucy." deduced Loke. "So, how did she look to you?"

Capricorn looked into the horizon and smiled. "She is indeed Miss Layla's daughter. I can tell she treasures and loves her spirits very much."

Loke smiled. "Does that mean we can count on you to lend her your strength?"

"No."

Loke looked at him, confused.

Capricorn smiled even wider. "I cannot give her something that's always belonged to her in the first place."

Loke answered him with a smile of his own.

* * *

Lucy stared in awe at the blood that splattered in the air in front of her. She watched in slow motion, as the big man who was just about to attack her was now being blown away by a kick from someone with a familiar black jacket and white scarf.

Natsu jumped out of nowhere and kicked the man in his left cheek, instantly cutting his lip in the process. The man was blown away and hit a nearby tree, that broke in half from the impact, burying him under the trunk.

Natsu landed on his feet and kept his eyes on his new opponent, before slowly shifting them to Lucy. "You alright?" he asked her.

Not fully recovered from the scene, she nodded weakly, despite her wounded and terrified state.

The Dragon Slayer gave her a short nod of his own and returned to the member of Grimoire, who was now freed from the wood. He cracked his neck and wiped blood off his lip, a giant bruise forming on his cheek. "Attacking me from behind...how cowardly!"

The man stood up and reached out to his back pocket. "I am one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, Kain Hikaru. And this..." he paused, before pulling out a voodoo doll. "Is Mister Noro!" he announced in a cheerful tone, before his face grew serious a second later. "I am a reasonable man, but I will not stand for being treated this way. As soon as I plug your hair out, you will experience hell, but before that. I will give you a glimpse of Mister Noro's true power-"

He didn't get to finish, as Natsu dashed forward so fast he couldn't even lower his eyes in time to spot him. Natsu placed his hands on Kain Hikaru's chest and looked him in the eye, his eyes turned into slits, and his stare rid of mercy. "I don't care." he growled.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S PURGATORY!**_

The Kin was completely swallowed by a torrent of flames shot point blank from both of Natsu's hands. They devoured both him and everything behind him, turning trees and leaves into ash in an instance. Lucy was forced to lie down and cover her head to bear with the heat, her exposed skin suffering dearly, and her lips drying out so much her upper one opened on its own.

After few more seconds, Natsu canceled his magic, revealing a severely burned and unconscious Kain Hikaru. The man let go of his doll and fell onto his face, his eyes and mouth wide open, his eyes rid of pupils. Natsu exhaled loudly and looked at his hands, his eyes narrowing.

"Shut up." he murmured and turned around, going back to Lucy.

The girl simply stared at the scene in awe. The very man who could have killed her with one move of his arm has been defeated in just two strikes. She shifted her eyes at Natsu, whose face was now more relaxed and gulped. She trusted him, she knew he was a teammate, but sometimes, he was simply terrifying.

"You okay?" he asked her and reached out his hand, which she took with gratitude.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But..." she began and looked at the bushes Rica was thrown into. They were dyed with crimson, with no movement coming out from them what so ever. Knowing what this mean, she narrowed her eyes in grief and looked away. "It's nothing. I'm okay."

Knowing full well what she meant, Natsu also looked at the bushes, but did not say a word.

"How did you find me, anyway?" asked him the blonde.

"You were nearby. Me, Wendy and the cats crashed in a cave nearby. I left them to look for people and start bringing them in one after another." he explained and took off his jacket, before throwing it over Lucy, much to her surprise. Only now did she realise what state her clothing was in, both from the cuts and the fall.

"Thanks." she smiled. "So, where do we go now?"

"Back to the cave. We're gonna travel bit by bit and try to find people on our way back to the main camp. Gramps is down, so we can't go there at full speed."

Lucy's blood froze. Master was down?! The situation has grown much more serious to her understanding.

"I was with Gray and Cana, but we got separated. Are they nearby, too?" she asked him, concerned about their wellbeing.

Natsu sniffed the air in all directions and shook his head. "No, I can't pick up anything."

Lucy lowered her head, worried. "Okay. Let's go back, then."

Just when they were both about to move, someone appeared behind them, with both of them recognizing the newcomer as Mest, who was carrying a giant lacrima on his back.

"I've finally...found someone..." he wheezed out in relief.

Natsu and Lucy looked at him with narrowed eyes. He smelled of trouble.

* * *

Cana groaned in irritation and pulled a knife out of her left shoulder, before throwing it back at its owner. "Didn't your mom teach you not to throw knives at people?!"

Sasha deflected the blade with another one and scoffed in response. Not phased by this, Cana pulled out another set of cards and threw them at the girl, who barely even had to dodge them. "Are you even trying to hit me?" she taunted the brunette and threw more knives at her.

"Nope." replied Cana, much to Sasha's confusion, and threw a new set of card that deflected the incoming blades. She then pulled out a new card and grinned mischievously, before showing it to her opponent.

Sasha squinted and struggled to read it, but when she did, her skin became pale. She looked around herself and noticed that all of the cards that she thought of as missed, were in fact pieces of a trap. A trap she fell into like a fly.

Cana jumped back and the card began to glow. "I'd grit my teeth if I were you."

Sasha tried to throw her knives at her, but was too late. Cana swiped the card in the air, trapping her in a yellow rectangle of light.

 _ **CARD TRAP: VOLTAGE BOX!**_

Sasha yelled out in pain after being shocked by multiple currents of electricity coming out of the cards, trapping her in the very middle of the barrier. Knives fell out of her hands, with her fingers twisting in all directions against her will. Cana kept the spell up for couple more seconds, before canceling it in fear of killing the girl.

Sasha's body was smoking, her mouth and eyes open. She released couple of groans, before falling to the ground, defeated.

Cana took a deep breath and clutched her injured shoulder, grimacing from pain. "I better go and find the others." she mumbled, before spotting light coming out from behind vines just next to her. She looked at it suspiciously, but took the bait, before passing through the vines.

She was welcomed by a beautiful scenery of a plain with lots of various flowers and butterflies flying over them. At its very center was a tombstone, that was lit up by the sun peeking through the hole drilled right above the grave, bathing it in sunlight.

Cana stared at it dumbfounded and gulped. Was this...? No, it had to be, there was no other way...But out here, in such an obvious place?

She carefully walked up to the grave and examined it. It was preserved very well. It had some moss here and there, but it looked well in contrast with the color of the stone. Right by its base was a bottle of unfinished booze, which she deduced belonged to Makarov. There was no mistake – she's found the grave of Mavis Vermillion.

Cana smiled grimly at the grave, cursing the irony. If it wasn't for the enemy, the exam would be still on, and yet here she was, at her destination, thrown in here by the very same enemy who caused a halt to the exam.

"Well, I better go find Lucy." she sighed and was about to walk away, before she felt a tug on her sleeve. When she turned around, she spotted a young girl with very long pale blond hair and happy, green eyes. She was smiling.

"What the..." frowned Cana and looked around. "How did you get in here, kid? Are you with Grimoire, too?" she asked and reached out to her cards.

The girl giggled and shook her head. "No, I am not. My name is Mavis. Mavis Vermillion."

Cana blinked very slowly, taking the information in. "What?"

The girl blinked in confusion. "Oh? Makarov hasn't told you about me? I am the founder of Fairy Tail, Mavis. Nice to meet you!" she added with a smile.

Cana blinked again and dropped her hand. Despite this bizarre and crazy revelation, her mind was focused on something else.

That she'd really use a drink right now.

 **End of Chapter 25. To be continued in Chapter 26: Guilt**

* * *

 **As promised, I'm going to leave a list of changes made in this chapter:**

 **\- Cana did not betray Lucy and left her alone on an island full of enemies**

 **\- Lucy and Cana met OC enemies and bested them in combat**

 **\- Natsu took down Kain Hikaru much faster than his canon counterpart**

 **\- Mavis appeared before Cana**

 **\- Cana is not obsessed with the exam, which is the opposite of her canon self**

 **I hope you guys liked this chapter, and again, sorry for letting you all down again. I will make Of Inner Demons great again!**


	27. Guilt

Erza, clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, deflected another blade sent at her neck and jumped back, landing right next to Juvia, who continued to clutch her injured shoulder.

"You okay?" asked the redhead.

Juvia nodded. "Yeah."

Their opponent, despite being a child, was quite a formidable one. Using a magic not yet known to Erza, she continued to create blades out of thin air, which she used to send in waves at her opponents, forcing them to dance to her will. One thing was certain – it was not Requip.

"How did she even cut you?" asked Erza with the corner of her mouth.

"She didn't." replied Juvia and showed her clean, uninjured skin, rendering Erza confused. "The pain is still there, but there is no wound. It's almost as if she directly hit my nerves."

"In other words, her magic might target our senses, instead of bodies." deduced Erza. "How troublesome."

Meredy, who kept both women at bay for quite a while now, raised her eyebrows a bit and aimed her right hand at Erza, new blades forming behind her figure. "As expected of Number Six, you surely live up to your reputation."

Erza was once again forced to deflect and dance right in the middle of a storm of blades. "You keep calling us by are they for?!" she asked after blocking 4 blades at once.

"My personal list of people to kill. Though, it is shared by other members of the guild. The higher the number, the more dangerous and important the target." explained the girl. She then used her other hand to attack Juvia, who turned her body into water, only to be struck by several blades at once, all of them making her scream in agony.

"Juvia!" called out the knight. She was starting to get worried over her friend. She was not showing even a glimpse of the strength she used during the exam. If she hadn't known her better, Erza would have assumed the girl simply lost her motivation after failing the exam, but that was not the case. The young age of their opponent was a very probable cause of this situation.

Erza clenched her teeth and broke all of the blades at once, before dashing at the Kin, who summoned two new blades and used them to defend herself from the redhead. "I'm Sixth? I have to say, I'm quite curious of who's above me." she smirked mockingly and tried to kick Meredy, who jumped away, summoning more blades while in the air. Truth to be told, she really was curious – she wanted to know who was in bigger danger than her.

"Fifth is Laxus Dreyar, although he appears to no longer be on the island." answered the girl. "Fourth is Salamander. Gildarts is Third, though just like Laxus, he's not here. Makarov is Second, but he has already been bested by Master Hades."

Erza blinked in confusion and deflected another wave of blades. "Master is second? Who do you consider to be more dangerous?"

"Gray Fullbuster is First." said Meredy in an emotionless tone and conjured new weapons, this time in the shape of bow arrows.

Now Erza was lost. "Why Gray?!" she asked and jumped in the air to avoid the arrows.

"I told you, didn't I? The list was personal, so obviously, for personal reasons." replied Meredy and snapped her fingers, which caused the arrows to change their trajectory and follow the knight, who was forced to summon multiple blades of her own to deflect them. She commanded her blades to knock the arrows down and threw her main sword at Meredy, forcing her to slip her head to the right to avoid being stabbed through the head.

"You're quite a ruthless one, Titania." noted the Kin, taking her eyes off the blade and shifted them back to Erza, who was now right in front of the girl.

Catching her by surprise, the redhead grabbed Meredy by the collar and right wrist, before throwing her over her right hip and pinning her to the ground, her left knee secured on girl's lower back, her right arm bent backwards.

"Distractions ought to be believable." said Erza and Requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor. "You okay?!" she called out to Juvia, who gave her a faint thumbs up from the water. "Now..." she began and increased the pressure of her hold, grinding Meredy's cheek into the ground beneath the shallow water. "Why are you targeting Gray? Answer me."

Her only answer was an empty glare from the Kin, who materialised multiple blades around both of them, all aimed at Erza. The knight was forced to release her opponent and jump away to avoid critical damage. Meredy slowly stood up and cleaned her clothes off dirt.

"You appear to misunderstand me, Sixth. Our goal is to kill anyone bearing your insignia, Gray Fullbuster is merely my primary target during this mission." said the girl and commanded her blades to attack Erza once again.

Before the redhead could react in time, the weapons were shattered by a tall wall of water, courtesy of Juvia who was now back on her feet. Reality slowly started to sink for Erza, cold sweat forming on her forehead. She forgot who was standing beside her this entire time.

"Juvia, calm down! Don't do-" she tried to reason with the bluenette, but it was unnecessary. Juvia's face was calm, albeit determined and focused, her eyes stuck on Meredy.

"I'm fine, Erza." she said and walked past her. Her voice was as calm as her face. "I'll deal with her. You should go and help the others."

Meredy frowned. "Don't push your luck, Thirteen."

Juvia ignored the remark and looked at Erza. "Trust me, I'll be fine. Go, now."

Although hesitant, Erza nodded and left the scene, much to Meredy's annoyance. "I shall deal with her as soon as I step over your lifeless corpse." she threatened, paining Juvia dearly. Seeing a girl as young as her talk this way hurt her. Truth to be told, she didn't want to be here, she didn't want to do this, the nightmares she's been having for the past weeks reappearing before her eyes, but right now, none of that mattered.

She would fight for what she deemed dear to her heart.

* * *

"I told you to wait!" roared Mest, his patience wearing thin. For the past couple minutes, he continued to call after Natsu and Lucy, who ignored him. Well, Natsu did. Lucy kept giving the Councilman short looks, as he continued to follow them, dragging the lacrima behind him.

"Hey, Natsu...maybe we should listen to him." she said nervously, feeling slightly pitiful for the man.

"I've already told him we can talk on our way back to the camp. Not my fault he'd rather call for us, than talk." answered Natsu and ducked under a massive tree branch.

"Well, yeah..." insisted the blonde, also ducking under it. "But whatever it is, it might be too important to be talked about while on move."

After giving it a short thought, Natsu sighed deeply through his nose and stopped, allowing Mest to catch up to them.

"What do you want?" he asked the Councilman.

Mest bent over and placed his hands to catch his breath. "I came to warn you...and I come with a proposition..." he wheezed out.

"What do you mean?" asked him Lucy.

"Come with me. Leave this island," proposed Mest. "We can provide you with means necessary to get out of here, and leave all of this behind. No, this isn't even a proposition, you must do it! As soon as you can!"

"We've got injured people, and not all of us have been found yet. We can't just leave like that. If that's all you wanted, leave us alone." said Natsu and turned back around.

"So I presume you have a better idea, then?!" snapped Mest.

"Yeah, I do." replied the Dragon Slayer. "Defeat the enemy and secure the island once again."

Mest shook his head. "You can't. Even if you dispose of the Seven, there's still their Master, not to mention Bluenote."

"Bluenote?" repeated Lucy.

"Bluenote Stinger, a former army commander, known for his destruction and cruelty. He's been defected for killing his subordinates and turned into a mercenary, currently working with Grimoire Heart. They say wherever he goes, he levels the area, and leaves dozens of bodies behind."

"We'll take our chances." said Natsu and started to walk away.

Mest clenched his teeth. "You missed this, haven't you? Running wild with no consequences what so ever, no one to stop you. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Natsu stopped walking and looked behind his shoulder, his stare making Lucy's hair stand on their own.

"You shouldn't even be here, Salamander. Let me remind you, that all we need is one tiny misstep to send you back to your cell, where you belong." continued Mest, letting his emotions speak for him.

Natsu quickly walked up to the man and pressed his forehead against his, piercing him with his glare. "Are you threatening me?" he growled.

"I'm trying to save you, but so far you're simply making it more difficult." answered Mest and pressed back. "You're letting your feelings control you."

Lucy walked in-between both men and separated them, which came with great difficulty. "Stop arguing!" she scolded them. "How exactly do you want to help us? And what is that thing?" she pointed at the lacrima.

Mest calmed down a little and explained. "It's a communication lacrima, from our main ship. It's the only one operating, at least for now. My Commander wanted to contact the Council and use Etherion on the island, that's why I wanted you all to leave it and come with us."

Lucy's eyes widened with terror. "Etherion?! You mean the weapon that can destroy whole nations?"

"Yes, that Etherion." nodded Mest. "With Grimoire Heart and Zeref in one place, they wouldn't even blink if killing you meant getting rid of both of them."

Lucy covered her mouth, while Natsu remained skeptical. "So you're trying to tell that you, a spy, want to save the very guild you've been trying to destroy for some time now?"

"Yes, yes I do." shot back Mest. "I may have been sent here to find evidence that could be used to disband your guild, but believe me or not, despite all that, there are still people in this guild I truly care about. People I do not want to see being obliterated simply for bearing a guild mark that is not liked by those with more power."

This seemed to have hit Natsu, whose eyes softened. "Alright." he said quietly. "How much time do you think you bought us?"

"An hour, maybe two, tops. I stole the only lacrima that was whole, but they might get other one working in no time."

"Good enough. We're not too far from the camp, you can tell us more details on our way there. For now..."

Natsu lit up his fist and smashed the giant lacrima into tiny bits. "You don't have to drag this thing around, we have no time. Let's pick up the pace." he said and started to run back to the camp, with Mest and Lucy following behind him.

Not long after, Lucy's holster lit up, with Loke coming back to her, as promised. "Natsu, Loke's back! And he's saying he got us an ally!"

Natsu looked at her, confused. "Which one was Loke again?"

"Seriously…?"

* * *

"Let me get this straight." said Cana and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You are Fairy Tail's First Master, who's been long dead, and you've been residing on this island ever since your death, right?"

"Yes." nodded Mavis, her smile still the same.

"And you're a ghost, and you are now speaking to me." continued Cana, dragging out the syllables to showcase just how ridiculous this was, only to receive a nod once again. "I give up." sighed the girl, her arms falling to the sides and slapping her hips with dull echo.

"Well, technically, I am not a ghost. This is my spectral form. I am made out of pure magic, more specifically my magic." corrected her Mavis, still amused. "But, I do have to say, you're handling it much better than I thought you would."

Cana looked at the girl and sighed in annoyance. "So, was this supposed to happen? The group that found your grave was supposed to meet you or something?"

Mavis shook her head. "No, I didn't even know there was an exam going on. I was woken up by something else." she added, her expression growing serious. So did Cana's.

"Grimoire Heart?" she asked with a scoff.

"Technically, yes, but one person in particular caused my awakening. Grimoire's Master is an old friend of mine, someone who is known by Makarov as well."

Cana's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?"

"His name is Precht, though right now, I am certain he goes by a new name. He was Fairy Tail's Second Master, my successor, and Makarov's old teacher." continued Mavis. "He left the guild 48 years ago, and fell into the depths of darkness during his travels, which led to the creation of Grimoire Heart."

"As useful as this may be, why are you telling me this?"

"Because I'd like you, and the guild, to stop him. That's the main reason I've appeared before you."

"Can't you do it yourself?" frowned Cana. "If he's your friend, you should deal with him."

"I have tried to reach him, many times. Our last meeting almost ended in my second death. As bizarre as that sounds..." she scratched her cheek with a nervous smile.

"So, even a ghost can die, huh?"

"I can be seen by those bearing the guild's mark. Despite everything that happened, Precht has yet to erase his. If he were to see me, yes, he could destroy me, rendering me unable to return to this world."

Cana gulped. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"There is a certain spell I can bestow onto you. It can be handled only by those with enough potential, big magic power reserves, solid decision making and the heart to use it at the right moment." said Mavis.

"And how exactly do you know I fit in all of these categories?" asked her Cana with a raised eyebrow.

"Consider it a hunch." smiled the spirit. "Besides, I have been watching your recent confrontation, and you have proven to fit within these requirements." all of a sudden. her expression grew stern, scolding even. "The guild is in grave danger. If you care about them, you will accept this spell. Do you wish to see them die?"

Cana's eyes narrowed. "Of course I don't, what kind of a question is this?" she asked, offended.

"Then give me your hand. Stop giving me attitude and let me help you."

The brunette stared at the spirit. "Are you sure this will help me turn the tides around?"

"I'm positive. You may have trouble bringing out the full potential of this magic, but if you concentrate well enough, you will be the key in our victory. It is a very difficult spell, one you will definitely struggle with. But I will help you as much as I can."

Cana inhaled loudly through her nose. "Fine. I accept it. What should I do?"

Mavis' expression has grown serious. "Clench your teeth, this will not be pleasant."

Cana was already regretting her decision.

* * *

Levy moved some of the branches aside with her left hand and sighed internally in relief at the sight of a familiar tent, or rather, its remains. This relief did not last for long, as her eyes came in contact with the sight of a crying Lisanna, who continued to bandage her unconscious and severely injured sister.

The younger Strauss reacted to the footsteps and quickly stood up, ready to fight, only to soften her frown upon seeing the familiar figures. "Levy, Gajeel!" she called out to them and ran up to the Dragon Slayer to support his other side.

"Leave me, I'm fine." he waved her off and plopped onto a nearby stone, gritting his teeth in pain from his wounds. "What the hell happened here?" he asked and looked around the area.

The camp was now residing right next to a giant crater, the soil inside of it scorched and still gently burning. Trees and other tents were in pieces, scattered all over the area.

"One of Grimoire Heart came here and tried to kill us. Mira tried to fend him off, and she almost got him, but because of me..." Lisanna tried to relay what happened, but broke down, feeling guilty of her sister's injuries.

Gajeel growled quietly and stopped pressing the girl. Instead, he called out to Levy. "Hey, stitch me up. We don't have time to waste."

Levy blinked in confusion. "Stitch you up? You need far more than that! We should wait until Wendy comes here, and then-"

"We don't even know where she is, and the sooner you close it, the sooner I can go out there again!" he yelled at her, his patience growing thin.

Levy was about to speak up, but was interrupted by rustling in the bushes, with beaten up Elfman coming out of them, unconscious Evergreen in his arms.

"Gajeel? Levy?" he asked, confused. He then spotted his sister. "Sis?! What the hell happened?!"

"Grimoire Heart." replied shortly Gajeel. "You?"

Elfman bit his lower lip. "Same." he said and gently placed Evergreen on the ground, before going to Mira's side. He gently grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze, before starting to shake. "I'm pathetic. I failed to defeat the intruder, I let him mock me and our guild, I let my partner end up like that...and I was not by my own sister's side when she needed me the most. I am scum."

"Shut the fuck up."

Gajeel's stern words woke him up from his trance and forced him to look at the now standing Dragon Slayer.

"You got your ass beat, and now you're gonna cry like a bitch? I thought you were the one saying how manly you are, but turns out it was all worth jack shit." continued Gajeel, as he stared Elfman down.

"Gajeel, that's enough!" intervened Levy and grabbed his arm, only to be forcefully shaken off.

"You have two choices. You can either stay here and cry yourself to sleep, or suck it up, accept the fact you got your ass beat, and make sure you pay the bastard who did this to you and your family tenfold. I sure as hell am not going to spend my time whining like a bitch, like you are right now." said the Dragon Slayer. "Same goes for you." he added, his eyes now on Lisanna. "Patch her up, wipe your face and make sure those bastards regret they came here."

"I said that's enough!" Levy tried to intervene once again, but was stopped by Elfman, who grabbed her hand.

"No, he's right." he said quietly and stood up, wiping his eyes. "I let the frustration get to me. You're right, Gajeel. I'll take a short break, and get back on that arrogant bastard, I swear it." he proclaimed, his eyes once again burning with resolve.

Levy looked at the scene and sighed. She simply could not understand men, no matter how hard she tried.

Gajeel smirked at his guildmate. "That's the spirit." he said, before punching Elfman in the gut, effectively rendering him unconscious.

Levy's jaw dropped to the ground in shock, and so did Lisanna's. "What the hell are you doing?!" they both screamed and rushed to the downed giant.

"I put him to sleep. In his current condition, he'd only get his ass beat again." explained Gajeel, with a tone as carefree as if he was describing the weather.

"You are in a much worse condition than he was!~"

"Maybe, but at least I won my fight."

As the pair continued to argue, Lisanna caressed her brother's forehead and smiled gently. "I guess he's right. We both have a long way ahead of us." she whispered to him, before reaching out for fresh bandages.

"Either way..." said Gajeel, his voice louder than Levy's. "Let's stay here for a bit and wait for others. If they don't come, we'll move out. This is the only location everyone is familiar with, at least from what I remember. We'll smash anyone who comes near us, so keep your eyes open."

Levy sighed in defeat and opened the medkit, preparing needle and the stitch.

* * *

'Send me out."

"That's out of the question."

"Why the hell not?"

Hades sighed from behind his wine glass and put it down on the dining table. "Because if you go out there, this fun day will quickly come to an end. Let the kids spread their wings, you've had enough fun as of recently. Learn to share, Bluenote"

Bluenote groaned and sat back down in his chair. "The trips I had to make were more fun than my jobs. You always leave me out of serious ones, old man. It's really annoying."

"You are far too reliable for your own good. Perhaps if you were a little bit weaker, you'd take part more often." remarked Hades and sipped from his glass.

Bluenote leaned across the table. "What if I hold back?"

"Even that renders you above anyone that guild has to offer. If you are that bored, you can guard the ship. Surely at some point, someone will crawl in here. If those kids inherited even a small bit of Makarov's will; they will come to us, only to be devoured by the Demons." shot him down Hades.

Bluenote sighed through his nose and stood up, before applying pressure onto the table with his hand. The ship has immediately started to shake, much to Hades' irritation.

"Could you not do that?" he asked him. Couple seconds later, the door to the hall opened, with a soldier running inside, before bowing down.

"Master Hades, I'd like to report, that the ship is slowly sinking-"

"I am well aware of that." replied the elder and signalised the henchman to leave, which he did with pleasure. "I'm serious, Bluenote, cut it out."

The man looked at him in confusion. "Why? If we stay underwater, it'll be harder to find us, and I can head out to have my fun."

"Even if you do that, my decision will not change."

Bluenote scoffed and removed his hand, the ship returning back to its original position. "Two kids are down. If another one goes, I'm going in. Whether you like it or not. Remember, I'm just a merc. Your rules don't really apply to me." he proclaimed, before leaving the room.

Hades looked at the door and sighed, before finishing his glass of wine. "It appears you are about to lose your last shards of hope, Makarov. I apologize. Even I am unable to control him at times."

* * *

Meredy growled in fury, her blades once again deflected by water. "Why do you stand against me, Thirteen? Where did this strength come from?!" she roared and conjured more weapons.

Juvia raised her hands to the sides, before crossing them before the chest. Two giant waves appeared on both sides of Meredy, trapping her in-between them, her blades shattered like glass. The girl emerged from the trap, coughing and aching, and fell to her knees, glaring at Juvia with pure hatred.

"Allow me to ask you a question of my own." said Juvia. "Why do you wish to kill Gray?"

"Why do you care?"

"He's someone I hold very dear. I cannot simply let you walk past me and kill him."

Meredy grit her teeth and stood up. "The person you hold dear hurt someone that is dear to me. It is only natural I seek revenge for this, is it not?"

"And what exactly is it that he's done?" asked her Juvia, her tone unchanging.

Meredy hesitated for a moment. "He killed Ultear's mother, someone whom I owe my life to. He made her suffer, and for that, I will make him suffer with double the strength."

Juvia's eyes narrowed. "You want revenge."

"Precisely. Now, I suggest you move out of the way, if you wish to die quickly."

"Where have you found out about that incident? Who told you that?" asked Juvia. She refused to believe these words.

"Ultear did. She told me everything that happened, she cried to me about it. For hurting the woman I love with all my heart, he will die. Now move."

"I won't. I won't let you get past this point."

Meredy clenched her teeth and materialised two dozens of blades, before throwing them all at Juvia.

 _ **MAGUILTY RAYS!**_

Juvia raised her arm and pointed them at the blades.

 _ **WATER SLICER!**_

Multiple drills of water emerged from behind her, meeting and shattering the blades into small balls of light. Meredy growled in fury and conjured two blades, each for her hand, and dashed at Juvia, who replied by moving forward as well. The rain woman clenched her right fist and submerged it in a ball of water, which she used to strike Meredy's exposed stomach. The girl gasped and got blown back, her weapons dispelling.

While in the air, the Kin threw more blades at Juvia, who blocked it with a tall wall of water, that then fell back to the water, revealing an uninjured Juvia.

"Is defending the only thing you can do?" taunted Meredy.

Juvia slowly shook her head, her eyes closed. "I simply do not wish to fight you."

"Then let me go."

"I cannot do that."

Meredy inhaled dangerously, her hands shaking from anger. "Why do you insist on getting in my way?! Why will you not fight me?! What is your deal?!"

"Because when I look at you, I am reminded of myself!" Juvia roared back, surprising the girl. "I also allowed emotions to get the better of me, and because of that, I have done something unforgivable! Just standing before you is painful to me! I've let myself be manipulated and blinded by hatred, the way you are now!"

"None of that is my concern." coldly shot her down Meredy. "I will kill Gray, sooner or later. I am not being manipulated into anything, I am doing this out of my own will."

"And I will not let you do it." shot back Juvia, her voice also cold. "If I wanted to hurt Ultear, you wouldn't let me do it either, wouldn't you?"

"No. I would have killed you on spot."

"Then we both have something in common. We both wish to protect our loved ones. It appears we've hit a wall."

Meredy glared from behind her bangs. "Do you really think you can play with my mind like that? Unfortunately for you, I can easily determine how you really feel."

"Go right ahead. I've told you nothing but truth."

Meredy narrowed her eyes and swiped her fingers to the side.

 ** _SENSORY LINK!_**

A pink, glowing bracelet appeared on both of their hands, connecting them.

"My magic allows me to connect my senses with other people. Lying to me is pointless – I can always tell the truth." declared Meredy.

Juvia looked at her wrist, and then back at the Kin, unphased by the statement. She trusted her heart.

This annoyed Meredy, who peeked deep into the connection, eager to catch Juvia's lie. "Now then, let's expose you for the fraud you are…"

Against her wishes, what she was hit with was not something she expected. Guilt. Lots of it. Mixed with love, to someone who's been imprinted on her mind for years now as the embodiment of hatred.

"W...what is this..." she muttered, confused.

"I can sense it, too." said Juvia and raised her arm. "Your feelings. They're real, and so are mine. When I look at you, I am reminded of that happened couple weeks ago, where I refused to listen to my friend, and tried to kill her. All because of my love to Gray. I let it blind me, just how you are letting it blind you right now."

The fact that she was not lying only made it harder for Meredy, who stared at the bluenette, unable to respond.

"If you still wish to have your revenge, then I will give everything I have in order to defeat you, even if facing you brings me pain." said Juvia, her eyes determined.

Drops started to fall onto Meredy's face, their amount and pace increasing with each second. Not long after, they turned into full out rain, raindrops hitting the water surrounding them with deafening sound.

Meredy stared at Juvia for a long while, before closing her eyes and smiling coldly. "Isn't it amusing? How two people can both love and hate the same person, depending on their point of view. You love Gray, I despise him. We will not get along, no matter how long we talk for."

"It makes us human, it makes us individual. Even the kindest, most humble people have those who hate them." replied Juvia.

"Even if I forget about Gray, we are still enemies. I was ordered to kill every Fairy Tail mage I meet." reminded Meredy.

"Then we shall battle until one of us is unable to move. We can forget our personal feelings, and sort this out that way."

"Or, I could simply use your feelings for Gray against you, and connect my senses with his."

Juvia's eyes widened. "Why would you do that?"

"My magic, Maguilty Sense, allows me to connect my senses to other people. That means emotions, pains, touch, taste. And even death. Although I am unable to transfer physical wounds, I could easily connect myself to Gray and list my own throat, killing him in the process. He would share my death with me." threatened Meredy, and pulled out a knife.

Juvia clenched her teeth. "You think I will let you?! I will knock you unconscious before you can do that!"

"You won't have to." said Meredy and snapped her fingers, her mark disappearing. "Because I will connect you to him. By killing you during our battle, I will kill him as well."

Before she could react, Juvia felt unbearable cold spreading across her body, something she'd learned to be an effect of Gray's magic. Her eyes widened upon realising what this meant.

"You are now connected to Gray. Hell, heaven – consider it as you wish. We shall test which one of us bears stronger feelings for him, which one of them is stronger – love or hatred." announced Meredy and readied herself for battle.

Seeing no other way out of this, Juvia bent her knees, ready to strike.

"Allow me to remind you, that every bit of damage you take is shared with Gray as well. If one of my blades so much as touches your throat or heart, you will both die." reminded the Kin.

Juvia shifted her pivot foot forward under the water. "I am well aware. Before we being, would you mind giving me your name?"

This request confused Meredy for a moment, but she complied. "One of Seven Kin of Purgatory, Meredy."

"Juvia Lockser, of Fairy Tail."

A moment later, both women dashed at each other, Meredy conjuring blades, and Juvia surrounding her hands in water. Their right hands met in a clash, Juvia's water and Meredy's light shattering upon impact. Not giving her a moment to relax, Juvia used water underneath Meredy's feet and trapped her in a ball of water, securing her in one place. She then blasted the ball with a thick torrent of water, smashing the girl against a nearby tree.

Meredy gasped from pain, but quickly regained her composure and moved her fingers upwards, revealing blades she hid under the surface of the water. Juvia was now surrounded by blades from all directions, which then launched themselves at her, forcing her to protect herself with a round wall of water. Unfortunately, she failed to deflect one blade, that struck her in her right shoulder blade, causing her to scream out in agony.

"Gray felt that as well." noted Meredy and created a bow with her magic. She shot an arrow right at Juvia's head, who avoided it by slipping to the side. Juvia raised her right hand and aimed it at Meredy, who jumped in the air, avoiding being grabbed by two hands made out of water.

"You are becoming predictable." taunted the Kin and landed on a massive tree branch, before knocking her bow once again. She was interrupted, however, with one of the water arms creeping up on her from behind and grabbed her by the leg.

Meredy was lifted off the tree and thrown back into the water. Just when she managed to get back to her feet, Juvia ran up to her and punched her in the gut, knocking air out of her body. The bluenette placed her hand in front of Meredy's face and blasted her away, causing her to crash into the tree once again.

What the hell is wrong with this woman?! Her magic continues to grow! panicked Meredy in her mind. Although she's been giving everything she had into this battle, she was heavily outmatched. The surroundings acted greatly in Juvia's favor, granting her free control of her magic.

"I will not fail!" screamed Meredy and conjured new set of blades, these ones much bigger and sharper than her previous creations. She launched them at Juvia, who this time was forced to dodge by jumping away. Unfortunately for her, Meredy did not send all of her weapons in first wave, and soon followed with a second one. Juvia grit her teeth and landed on the ground, before using the water behind her to counter.

 _ **WATER SLICER!**_

Water and light crashed once again, the blades shattering. But not all of them. One sword managed to slip past Juvia's defenses and go through her left leg, causing her to scream out in agony.

Seeing this as a chance, Meredy summoned her arrows one more time and sent them at Juvia, who raised a wall to protect herself. With her leg barely allowing her to stand, she had great difficulty with focusing, which came back to bite her. Two arrows pierced the wall and struck her in left forearm and right shoulder respectively, effectively rendering both of her arms unusable for the moment.

Juvia fell to her knees, tears of pain dripping down her face, her eyes glued to Meredy, who stared her down with a cold expression. "It appears your feelings are not strong enough." said the girl, a blade forming in her hand.

Juvia's eyes narrowed dangerously, anger slowly building up inside of her. It wasn't aimed at her opponent, nor Gray. It was bordering with frustration, aimed at no one else, but herself. It's been following her ever since that incident, and truth to be told...

She was getting tired of it.

* * *

Natsu and Lucy arrived back at their temporary camp, with Mest tailing behind them. On their way, Natsu and Mest exchanged information on Grimoire Heart, as well as planned their next move.

Wendy, who was resting after using her healing magic for so long, raised her head and beamed at the sight of Lucy. She quickly stood up and ran up to the girl, hugging her waist as hard as she could.

"Hey there." greeted her Lucy and patted her on the head. "I'm glad to see you're safe."

"Me too." smiled the girl. "Natsu kept us safe."

"Of course he did." chuckled Lucy and let Wendy go, "Where is Lily?"

"Scouting the area." said Carla. "We figured since we'll be here for a while, we might as well go and search for the camp in the meantime. He should be back soon."

Lucy nodded, before turning back around to the men.

"So, as you can see, we can't really travel as fast as we'd want to." said Natsu and gestured at wounded Makarov. "He almost died on us twice, can't risk it."

Mest's eyes narrowed at Makarov's grievous state. "And despite him ending up like that like this, you still wish to fight?"

"What other choice do we have?" asked him Lucy. "We can't just run and leave our friends behind."

Mest pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. There was no getting through to these people.

"That all aside..." began Natsu and examined Lucy from top to bottom. "Would you mind changing your clothes? And give me my jacket back."

Lucy blinked in confusion and looked down. True, she did need a new set of clothes. Her current attire was ripped and cut in various places.

"Where the hell are you staring?" she slapped him on the shoulder and turned around, embarrassed. "Besides, it's not like I'm carrying new clothes with myself everywhere I go." she pouted.

"I have them right here." said a familiar voice, which turned out to belong to Virgo, who appeared on her own, fresh clothes in her grasp. Lucy simply sweatdropped at the sight and asked the men to turn around, after giving Natsu his jacket back.

"That reminds me, you can teleport, right?" Natsu asked Mest whilst putting it back on. "Can't you take us to the camp?"

"I would if I could." Mest shook his head. "I use up a lot of magic to teleport, and I've done it many times today. I'm sure if you gave me an hour, I could make one long trip, but right now..."

"...we don't have time." finished Natsu and sighed. "As soon as she finishes..." he gestured at Lucy. "We're gonna move. Are you coming with us?"

Mest hesitated for a moment. "Do you really wish to fight those people? Even though you know there's a chance you will die in the process?"

Natsu looked him in the eye. "Wouldn't be the first time."

Mest chuckled to himself. "These people have really grown on you, haven't they? You even talk like them."

Natsu blinked and turned around to look at his guildmates. Truthfully, he's never given that a thought. "Believe it or not, I've always been against people dying. I guess we just have that in common."

"Even those who have perished by your hand?" asked him the Councilman, his voice slightly stern.

"Don't ask difficult questions." scoffed the Dragon Slayer and walked away from Mest, leaving him by himself.

"Guys, Lily is back!" announced Wendy and pointed at the incoming Exceed.

"Did you see anything?" asked him Carla once he landed.

"I did. The camp is destroyed, but others are still there. Mira is grievously injured, Gajeel and Elfman are beaten up as well. I didn't see anyone on the way back, so I think we're clear."

"Even Mira is down?" Lucy covered her mouth with her hand. "did you see Cana, or Gray?"

"No, I haven't seen them."

Natsu scowled. He gently picked up Makarov and placed him on his back, adjusting the elder as softly as possible. "All right, we're moving. Lower your magic if possible and stay quiet, we gotta be sneaky about this." he told his guildmates, who nodded in approval. "You." he turned eh Mest. "Keep the Council off our asses. Lie, steal their lacrimas, do whatever you can. Buy us as much time as possible. That's your job right now."

Mest hesitated for a bit, before shaking his head. "I still think you don't stand a chance fighting..."

"I don't care. Do it." growled Natsu and passed him by.

"I never said I won't."

Lucy and Wendy nodded to him and the group walked out into the wilds, leaving Mest alone. He pressed his back against the wall and slid down, his rear meeting the cold ground.

He was so fed up with this guild…

* * *

Juvia kicked the ground as hard as she could with her healthy leg and dashed at Meredy, catching her by surprise. She punched the girl straight in the jaw with her right hand and used her left to blast her away with water. However, unlike before, she didn't let her crash, but instead caught her with a geyser of water and launched her high in the air.

Meredy grit her teeth and conjured new arrows, scattering them all over the ground beneath her. Juvia created a dome of water and used it to catch the weapons, before shaping it back into a torrent which she launched at Meredy. The Kin conjured two blades underneath her feet and used them as launchpads to jump out of the way. With Juvia's leg being injured, she now had the upper had in terms of agility. All she needed was a right angle to strike and best her once and for all.

 ** _MAGUILTY RAIN!_**

Meredy conjured all of the possible shapes of weapons she could produce and threw them all at Juvia, who retaliated with a massive torrent of water. The attacks clashed and erupted in an explosion of water and light, however, both parties suffered because of that. Meredy was blown into a tree branch, her back painfully meeting with wet wood, while Juvia's stomach was pierced by a stray blade, forcing her back to her knees once again.

Seeing this opened a window of opportunity for Meredy, who quickly stood up and jumped in the air, before repeating the attack. _She's had enough. With this attack, I will get rid of both her and Gray at once! Victory is mine! Ultear, I did it!_

Juvia raised her head and glared at Meredy from behind her bangs, her eyes piercing through the girl's soul.

Soon after, Meredy heard a disturbing sound behind her, and upon turning her head around, blood froze in her veins. She was now floating before a massive wave of water, it's weight and power expressing itself by sound alone. Juvia was using all of her magic to control the water they were fighting in and placed all she had in this one last attack.

 _ **WATER AVALANCHE!**_

Meredy was swallowed by the wave along with her weapons and smashed into the ground, the water quickly spreading to the sides, raising the water level significantly. Blades and arrows shattered like glass, and once all of the water crashed back where it belonged, Meredy's barely conscious body emerged from under the surface, revealing her battered and aching figure.

Juvia panted heavily and fell to her knees, no longer able to fight.

"You've lost." she announced to the Kin in-between her deep breaths.

Meredy clenched her fists in frustration and slowly started to stand back up, which came with great difficulty. "Not.,.yet. I will not fall…until he's dead..."

"You can't and you won't kill him. Stay down." pleaded Juvia.

Meredy looked at her hatefully, an idea being born in her mind. "I will, I simply have to connect myself to you two. That way, all three of us will die!" she announced and raised her hand.

Juvia grit her teeth and squeezed her right fist, two hands of water appearing near Meredy and wrapping themselves around her throat. The girl looked at Juvia in shock, but then smiled in sinister fashion. "Come on, do it. This is the only way you can stop me from doing it."

Juvia's eyes narrowed in sadness and she stood up, slowly limping towards Meredy, her magic still keeping her life in her hands. Upon arriving at her location, Juvia plopped back to her knees before the Kin and looked at her with painful eyes.

"I will not kill you." she said quietly. "I won't do it, because I don't want to do it, and neither would he."

"Then you will not stop me. You're both going to die."

"Why can't you understand how I feel?" asked Juvia, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know whether what you said it's true, that's a fact. But I know Gray, I've seen him at his darkest moments, and I know that he would never do it, not without a reason. You don't have to resolve to killing to get your answers. I'm sure if you talk to him, he will tell you the truth."

"He will feed me lies to save his own skin. Talking is pointless." growled Meredy. "If talking is your only course of action right now, then you might as well shut your mouth. I will-"

Before she could finish her threat, Juvia canceled the magic and wrapped her arms around Meredy, pulling her close to her figure. The girl was paralysed and blankly stared at the back of the bluenette's head, before trying to get out of her grip.

"Release me!" she demanded and wiggled, but Juvia's hold remained locked.

"I know what you feel like. You want to make the person you love happy, do you not? You wish to respect them and their memory, and do what you feel is right. But what you're doing is simply hurting other people for your own needs. You may satisfy yourself and your loved one, but you hurt others in the process. Don't go down the same route I did." Juvia cried into Meredy's neck.

Meredy frowned. There it was. Manipulation, something she had to deal countless times in her life. Fed up with Juvia, Meredy attached herself to the link between her and Gray and focused on Juvia's heart. To her horror, the words she spoke just now turned out to be genuine. This crazy woman actually cared for an enemy, someone who tried to take her life. Why…?

"Why are you doing all this? Why don't you just kill me, to save him?"

Juvia pulled out of the hug and put her hands on Meredy's shoulders, looking her in the eyes. "Because if I do, I will hurt the person you love. And I don't want that. It works the other way as well. If you kill Gray, I will suffer. It's an endless cycle, that could be easily evaded. We don't have to kill each other to resolve our grudges, it's never the way. Come with me, give him a chance to talk, and I am sure you will receive your answers." sniffed Juvia and smiled gently. "You may not forgive him, nor will Ultear, but that way, we can both be better than just blindly killing each other."

Meredy stared at Juvia, lost for words. To say she was conflicted was an understatement, countless thoughts circling in her mind. But, despite all that, she did find one thing she could truly agree on with Juvia – that they did, in fact, have something in common.

The mark on Juvia's hand vanished, and along with that, Meredy leaned backwards and fell on her back, tired. "I just can't fight you. I give up. I'll take your hand."

Juvia stared at her, confused, but smiled and also leaned back, relaxing her body at once. "Thank you."

"If he did, in fact, murder Ultear's mother, I will kill him on spot. Best keep that in your mind." threatened the Kin.

Juvia smiled. "You won't, I just know it. He's not that kind of a person."

Meredy exhaled through her nose and stared at the black clouds above her head, the raindrops crashing on her face.

The noise of the storm was almost on par with the noise inside her head.

* * *

The group marched through the island, the storm acting in their favor. Thanks to that, they didn't have to walk as quietly as they intended to, but it also crippled the Dragon Slayer's sense of hearing. Their noses were also not as functional as before, with rain washing down the usual smell of plants, people and animals.

Lucy, who was walking behind Natsu, who was in front, gently leaned in towards Wendy and covered her mouth with her hand. The girl looked at her curiously, but tilted her ear to let the blonde speak.

"Why is he so banged up? Have you guys fought someone on your way here?" asked Lucy.

Wendy's expression grew a little grim, but she replied nonetheless. "We did, but it did not end well for us. Natsu was up against someone immune to his magic, and because of that, we were forced to retreat. Then we found Master and hid in that cave."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Natsu lost?! They have someone that strong in their ranks?"

"I wouldn't call him that strong." threw in Pantierlily from the side. "It was simply a bad matchup. I'm sure that Erza or Mira could take care of this guy. Natsu thinks so as well."

Lucy looked at her teammate with sadness. She didn't know the details, but she knew he was struggling. This blow to his pride could not have been easy.

"I hope everyone is okay." said Wendy. "So many of us are injured already..."

"I'm sure they're fine. Gajeel was up and running, so was Levy and Lisanna." assured her Lily, which slightly eased up her worries.

Suddenly, Natsu halted and stared directly ahead, a scowl glued to his face. "Someone's there." he warned and signalised the Exceeds to take Makarov away from him.

A giant man emerged from the shadows, the rain around his body levitating like an aura.

"What...is this magic power?!" asked terrified Lucy, his pressure getting to her.

"I can't...breathe..." wheezed out Wendy.

The man looked at the group and noticed their mark. "Fairy Tail, huh? How convenient."

Without a warning, he raised his hand at them and squeezed it. A second later, they all felt unbearable weight on their shoulders. Lucy, Wendy and Exceeds fell to the ground hard, unable to move. Soon after they were grinded into it, with a crater forming beneath.

"Gravity?!" asked Lily, unable to move a finger.

Bluenote continued to stare them down, bored. "Looks like I won't find anyone in here who could fly with me, so I'm just…" he began, only to squint a little. "Oh?"

The only person who managed to stay on their feet was Natsu, who continued to glare at Bluenote. "Who the hell are you?" he asked with a low growl.

Bluenote smirked and stopped applying pressure onto Fairy Tail mages, but still kept them down with his magic. "Name's Bluenote. I don't care about your guild, nor Zeref. I'm here for two things – to fight someone strong, and to find Fairy Tail Founder's grave. Where is it?"

Natsu cracked his neck and started to walk up to Bluenote, seemingly unaffected by his gravity. "Hell if I know."

"Well, you may not, but those behind you may. Maybe I'll ask Makarov, once I wake him up, that is?" asked Bluenote.

Natsu has finally emerged out of the hole and walked up to Bluenote, piercing him with his eyes. "Go ahead and try it."

Bluenote's eyes widened. Both men unleashed their magic at the same time, increasing the pressure in the area even further. Clad in both flames and gravity respectively, both men continued to stare each other down, measuring themselves up.

Natsu tried his best to not let his opponent know the effect his magic had on him. He wouldn't fall to the ground like others, no, but his movement was definitely crippled. Still, it wasn't something that would stop him.

"Kid, I feel like we might fly pretty soon. Your name?" asked impressed Bluenote.

Natsu took his time answering, but complied in the end. "Natsu."

"Try not to disappoint me, Nat-" taunted Bluenote, only to be nailed by a powerful right hook ro his jaw. He was forced to take a step back, his head blown back/

"Vice-versa." growled Natsu, his fist already retracted.

Bluenote wiped his lips and smiled widely. "Yeah, we most definitely will fly."

* * *

Gray, who's been tailing a mysterious woman for some time now, took one final deep breath and felt his body up once again. The strange, strong pain that kept striking him out of nowhere seemed to have passed away, and so did the weird mark on his hand.

"What the hell was that..." he murmured to himself. "Creepy. I just hope she hasn't-"

Just when he peeked out of his cover, he was met with a female stomach being placed right in front of his eyes. Gray quickly jumped to his feet and moved back, with Ultear standing right in front of him, the man she's been carrying in her arms gone.

 _Shit, she's onto me._ He panicked and punched his palm. The woman raised her hand and smiled.

"There's no need for this, I am not your enemy, Gray."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "How the hell do you know my name?"

Ultear smiled. "It is only natural I know the name of my mother's disciple, is it not?

The Maker's eyes widened in shock, as he dropped his hands. Now it all made sense. He knew why he was tailing her for so long, and why she looked so familiar. Even her voice was almost the same…

"My name is Ultear." introduced herself the woman. "I am Ur's daughter."

 **End of Chapter 26. To be continued in Chapter 27: Salvation.**

* * *

 **I am not satisfied with this chapter. I couldn't find the right angle to write Juvia's fight.**

 **Changes from canon:**

 **\- Juvia did not go full psycho on Meredy and went back to the incident from SC Arc, where she almost killed Lucy after seeing a fake memory implanted by Luppi**

 **\- Mest is more willing co cooperate with Fairy Tail**

 **\- Gajeel is still in the game and will stay that way**

 **\- Cana meets Mavis and talks to her briefly(more of the conversation will be shown later)**

 **\- Natsu did not get foddered and stands up to Bluenote**

 **That's it for now. Next chapter will be out in 2 days.**

 **See you later!**


	28. Salvation

Natsu and Bluenote continued to stare each other down. From behind them, Lucy managed to lift her head just enough to see them both. Truth to be told, she was grateful she was in a hole right now – she'd rather avoid feeling Natsu's heat again.

"How's...Master?" grunted Carla from beside Wendy.

The girl looked at him and frowned. "Not well. We have to get out of here as soon as possible..."

"We have to leave it in Natsu's hands. He's our only hope right now." noted Lily, who tried to power his way out with his battle form, to no avail.

"I'm gonna ask you one more time, nicely. Where is Mavis' grave?" asked Bluenote.

"I already told you, I don't know. None of us do." replied Natsu.

Bluenote sighed. "Well, that just complicates things." he whined, before pulling his right hand back and striking at Natsu, who retaliated with the same punch. Their fists connected, a small shockwave being born from the blow. The mercenary smirked, satisfied with his opponent's strength. Natsu continued to scowl, feeling Bluenote up. Just when he was about to throw a second strike, all of his instincts started to scream. Acting purely on reflex alone, he jumped back, just in time to see the ground where he was standing not even a second ago start to crumble and turn into dust, massive pressure being put on it from above.

Natsu landed on his feet several meters away and bent his knees, anticipating the next attack.

"You're good." praised him Bluenote and pointed at his feet with his hand, before snapping two of his fingers upwards. The ground beneath Natsu's feet was ripped out of the soil, along with him, and started to levitate upwards. The merc relaxed his fingers and made a fist, causing Natsu's footing to break into dozens of rocks. He then relaxed it and clenched his fist again, the rocks flying towards Natsu with the intent to trap him.

Natsu quickly lit his feet on fire and turned them into thrusters, escaping the prison. Once he rose up high enough, he leaned forward and launched himself at Bluenote like a missile, charging in a straight line.

The merc smirked in amusement and aimed his hand at Natsu, before releasing an invisible ball of gravity. Predicting it, the Dragon Slayer used his left hand to launch a ball of fire to the side, changing his trajectory. He then used flames on his right hand to give himself momentum, which he used to spin in the air and deliver a powerful right kick to Bluenote's head, who blocked it with his left forearm. The strike rendered his hand numb.

Not giving him a chance to counter, Natsu used Bluenote's arm as a launchpad and jumped above him, before kicking him in the lower back. The merc grunted in pain, which Natsu took as a chance to strike again. Much to his surprise, he spotted something coming his way with the corner of his eye, which happened to be Bluenote's fist. The man threw a blind right backhand that caught Natsu right on the cheek, blowing him aside.

The Dragon Slayer groaned and flipped in the air, before landing on all fours. As soon as he stopped sliding on the ground, he jumped backwards just in time to avoid being crushed by gravity.

Bluenote scoffed and cracked his neck. _So, his plan is to stay on the move and avoid being caught by my magic. In that case…_

He spread his arms to the sides and increased the gravity of the entire area. Natsu groaned lightly and felt his neck bending downwards, along with his body. It took him couple seconds to get used to the weight.

Bluenote used this moment to dash at Natsu, unaffected by his own magic. He grinned wickedly at his immobile opponent and retracted his fist, ready to strike.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!_**

His plans were stopped by a point-blank Roar thrown directly at his face. Bluenote emerged from the flames with his arms put up in front of his face, light burn marks all over his body. As he expected, Natsu was nowhere to be found, at least not on the ground. Bluenote looked above just in time to see a fist right in front of his nose. He slipped his head to the side and retaliated with his right, smashing his fist directly into Natsu's stomach. He shifted his pivot and pushed Natsu through with his fist, before launching him to the side like a ball.

The Dragon Slayer spat out some blood and clutched his stomach, but landed on his feet and slid on the ground. He found himself back where he started, at the very edge of the hole his friends were in. Bluenote started to walk up to him, the gravity around them still increased, continuously putting pressure on Natsu. He wiped his lips off and breathed out loudly, trying to come up with his next move.

This was definitely a tough opponent.

* * *

Cana lowered her head to avoid a rock and sprinted out of the entrance to E-Route, at the same time checking all of her pockets. She found what she was looking for in her back pocket and pulled out a card with Lucy's distraught face drawn directly next to a big sign that said "Help!".

She clutched the card as hard as she could and sprinted into the wilds, at the same time remembering her conversation with Mavis.

 _"Have you remembered the chant?"_

Cana did not hear Mavis' question. Instead, she focused on staring at the fresh mark on her arm, its magic overwhelming her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I did." she muttered after snapping back to reality.

Mavis nodded. "Good. Just keep this in mind – you are barely able to contain this spell. If given time to bring out your full potential, you could definitely master it, but we do not have this luxury. I'd highly suggest you refrained from using too much magic power before unleashing this spell – the more magic you lose, the bigger the chance it will fail."

Cana nodded and put her jacket back on. "Do you want me to use it on that Hades guy?"

"Use it whenever you feel it's right. I have faith you will make the right decision." smiled the spirit. "I'm afraid this is all I can do for now. With the Tenrou Tree being broken, my hands are tied. I will, however, try to apply protection onto the more injured members of the guild." said grimly Mavis, frustrated with her powerlessness.

Cana looked at her and smirked. "We'll pull through, I'm sure of it." she said and patted the spirit on the head, much to her surprise. "Oh, sorry. Too bold?" Cana backed her hand off.

Mavis blinked, but shook her head with a smile. "No, not at all. Thank you. Now go, we have no time to waste."

Cana nodded and ran out of the cave.

As she pulled Lucy's card out, she felt determination and resolve filling her heart back to what it was before the invasion.

"Wait for me, Lucy!"

* * *

Gray's eyes searched all over Ultear's figure, as if looking for any hints that could possibly suggest she was lying. However, he did not find even a single one.

"I know it's sudden, but please, believe me when I say I am not your enemy." smiled gently Ultear. "I'm your ally."

Gray relaxed his body, but remained skeptical.

"If it's about my mother, then you shouldn't feel bad. I know you had nothing to do with her death. I do not hold a grudge against you. I'm your friend." said the woman and reached out to him.

Gray knocked her hand down and took a step back. "You can't possibly think I'll believe you right off the bat. Especially with that mark on your body, as well as you dragging Zeref for almost half the island. What the hell do you want with him?"

Ultear blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"If you know I wasn't the one who did it, then you must know the truth." growled Gray. "Ur died fighting Deliora, a demon created by none other than Zeref. And you're just casually holding him in your arms, caressing like he was your long lost child? Get real."

"It's not like that, Gray." she shook her head. "It is true that he's the one who stole her from us, but he can also bring her back."

If Gray was angry before, now he was livid. "R-System, right? Sacrificing others to bring back one life? As if I'd let you-"

"No, R-System is not what I had in mind. By achieving the Ultimate Magic World, we will be able to go back to the moment she died, and rewrite it. However, it can only be done with Zeref."

"As if Ur wanted to do something like that!" roared Gray. "You're her daughter, you should know that better than anyone!"

"I wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't received her permission." replied calmly Ultear. "This is Ur's will."

Gray's eyes slowly widened in shock. "What?"

"Ur knew, that the world of magic was in a very grim place. The world itself was not very kind for mages, who suffered dearly because of it. It also went the other way around: strong preyed on the weak. So, she's decided to help in creation of the ultimate world, where peace was as natural as breathing. She relayed her will to me in case something happened to her. Which, unfortunately, did." she explained with pained expression.

Gray stared at her, before narrowing his eyes. "How come I've never heard of this?"

"Do you really think she'd explain something that complicated to a hotheaded child such as yourself?" Ultear asked rhetorically. "She wanted to wait before telling you, but her death prevented that from happening."

Gray grabbed his face with his hand and sighed through his nose. Taking it as a sign of an upcoming victory, Ultear pushed further.

"The reason I joined Grimoire Heart was to get close to Zeref. And, as you can see, it paid off. All that's left is to leave the island and create the world Ur's always wished to be. But in order to achieve that, Hades must fall. If we do it with him around, he will get in our way." said Ultear. "Gray, will you help me? Will you join me, and help me fulfill my mother's will?"

Gray slid his hand down his face and looked into Ultear's eyes. They stared at one another for a minute, before Gray burst out into laugh. The woman blinked in confusion, as he wiped his eyes off and wheezed out.

"You really are her daughter." he chuckled and shook his head.

Ultear sighed internally and smiled. "I told you, didn't I? I'll do anything to carry out her-"

"You're both absolutely garbage at lying." he finished with a growl, his expression growing cold and angry in a matter of seconds.

Breath got stuck in Ultear's throat, who's been caught by surprise.

"Ur's will? Cut the bullshit. You know very well, that she'd rather die, than hurt others for her own benefit. Ur helping, or using Zeref? The sheer thought is so ridiculous I'm about to throw up."

Knowing that she was busted, Ultear changed her expression to disgust mixed with anger. This only supported Gray's claim and made him angrier.

"You do not deserve the right to call yourself her daughter. You're lower than filth." he growled and took a fighting stance. "I'll make sure to scold you in her stead, tenfold."

The woman burst out in sarcastic laughter, before summoning her orbs. "A brat like you is 100 years too young to challenge the leader of Seven Kin of Purgatory. I will make sure you two meet very soon. You can give her my regards, and remind her how big of a failure she was."

Gray roared and charged at Ultear, who merely smirked. She could finally let loose.

* * *

Natsu and Bluenote's heads clashed, ground beneath their feet cracking. They've been locked in a power struggle for a bit now, one that rendered them equal.

"Do try and make it up for me, fairy. I'm holding back here, all for you. I want to fly with you, and we're very close to achieving that." smirked Bluenote.

This touched one of Natsu's nerves. He raised his right leg and kicked Bluenote underneath the chin, much to his surprise. He then broke the struggle off and delivered a devastating uppercut to Bluenote's gut, that made him gasp in pain. His bent over, which put his head on Natsu's level, who immediately used the opportunity to smash him with a left hook. Bluenote's body was blown back, and he turned around to fall on his knees.

Natsu tried to follow up with a kick, only to be caught by the ankle. "My turn." whispered Bluenote and shook the kick away, before throwing his fist at his stomach. Natsu blocked the strike by crossing his arms over his belly, but the damage was still dealt. His feet lost contact with the ground, the punch lifting him up in the air. He landed a meter back and tried to charge, only to be stopped by gravity grinding him into the ground: he failed to dodge it in time.

The merc used this moment to punch Natsu's stomach one more time, this time succeeding. Natsu coughed up blood, but recovered pretty soon and shook it off, before throwing a punch of his own. Bluenote blocked it with his left forearm, but it turned out to be a feint. Natsu kicked Bluenote in the thigh and caused him to lose his balance, his face once again exposed, which was then nailed by another hook, directly in the jaw, drawing blood.

"He's holding his own. He can do this!" cheered Lucy from the hole.

Lily nodded, but remained skeptical. "Yes, it appears he has a fighting chance. But this man said he's still hiding an ace up his sleeve."

"So is Natsu." noted Wendy.

Shortly after this brief exchanged, another wave of rocks flew over their heads, as Natsu and Bluenote connected their fists once again.

"You move well, despite being in my gravity." praised the merc. "Let's bring the things up a gear, shall we?"

Natsu grunted upon feeling more weight being put on his shoulders. Bluenote increased the gravity even further and broke contact, before kicking Natsu in the stomach. The Dragon Slayer blocked the strike, but it pained him dearly. Not willing to take another hit, he shook the leg off and winded up with his left, only to be caught by a left hook. With his lip split, Natsu felt blood rush to his head, anger slowly overtaking his mind. He raised his magic to its absolute limits and retaliated with an uppercut to the gut.

Bluenote smirked through pain and threw a punch of his own, only to be blocked. Natsu replied with a kick, which was also blocked. Their strikes have started to pick up in both power and speed, and soon both men engaged one another in a wild exchange of hits, as the ground beneath their feet broke off and started to levitate upwards, with them slugging it out, still on it.

Natsu's head was blown to the side after eating a nasty left elbow across his face. He quickly turned around, and as he was doing that, he puffed his cheeks out and unleashed another point-blank Roar.

Bluenote groaned from the heat and blindly closed Natsu's mouth with his hand, who quickly pushed it off and nailed a right hook to the man's temple, which rocked him. The Dragon Slayer followed with another right hook, but Bluenote dodged it at the last second and Natsu's flaming fist smashed into their footing, breaking it into pieces.

Bluenote jumped onto the biggest piece of debris he could find and used his magic to keep it in one place, staying in the air. In the meantime, Natsu was falling to the ground along with the debris.

"I knew you were worth giving a chance to, this is much more fun than I expected it to be." smirked the merc and cracked his neck. "Let's get a little bit more serious, shall we?" he asked, before creating a purple ball in his hand. He then threw it above his head.

 ** _GRAVITON SURGE!_**

The ball expanded and started to attract all of the rocks and debris from the area, even ripping some of them from the cracked ground beneath him. Natsu, who was already on the ground, stared at the sight in terror, a large shadow slowly casting itself onto both him and his friends.

"Well, I guess this should do for now." muttered Bluenote. Above him was a massive ball made out of rocks, trees and other stuff ripped out of the ground. It was at least the size of a small ship.

"You...you're kidding me, right?" gasped Lucy in horror, cold sweat running down her face.

"Try surviving this, fairies." said Bluenote and flipped his finger at Natsu.

The creation smashed into the ground, cracking it and forcing its pieces to rise and descend respectively. Lucy, Wendy, and the cats were shaken by the impact, their hole breaking even further.

"Natsu!" called out Lucy in despair, her teammate most likely flattened by the man-made meteor.

Bluenote stared at the dust cloud from above, waiting for any signs of life from his opponent. Upon not seeing any, he sighed and scratched his cheek in disappointment. "Damn, I was hoping I could go even further with this guy. Well, I did have some fun, anyway."

Just when he said that, the meteor blew up, its pieces flying in all directions. Bluenote was forced to cover his face with his arms to avoid being hurt by the debris, a wide smirk forming on his face.

Natsu emerged from the dust cloud, his breathing hard. His forehead was split, blood flowing down the left side of his face. His clothes were torn even more than before, and small sparks of lightning cut the air around his body. He glued his eyes to Bluenote and grabbed his chest, giving it a light squeeze.

Bluenote lowered himself back to the ground and jumped off his rock. "You look familiar. You the one who kicked Silva's ass?" he asked and took off his coat.

Natsu spat some blood to the side and cracked his neck. "Yeah."

The merc grinned. "Makes sense. I'll take that as my ticket to stop holding back."

 _This bastard can go even further?_ groaned Natsu in his mind, but did not let himself to show it. If it came to that, he'd reach to _that_. It wasn't just his skin being at line here, after all.

Both men started to slowly walk up to each other, both of them raising their magic, Natsu surrounded his body in a flaming aura, his feet leaving scorching footsteps on the ground. Bluenote, on the other hand, was strolling with a severely heavy step, his feet sinking into the ground with each taken step.

"I've found you!" roared a female voice from the side.

Both men looked at the woman, who revealed herself to be Cana. She was panting loudly, her breathing irregular, but she smiled nonetheless. She made it.

"You..." Natsu frowned at her sight.

"Cana!" Lucy called out to her from the hole, glad to see her.

"Hey, Lucy! Good to see you!" grinned Cana, but quickly sobered and looked at Bluenote, easily deducing he was the enemy. "Sorry, Natsu, but I'm taking this guy down. Don't hold it against me!"

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" asked confused Bluenote. "I have no interest in trash, piss off-" he insulted her, but as soon as his eyes fell on her right arm, they widened. "Impossible. Why do you have it?!"

He shifted his attention from Natsu to Cana, and turned in her direction. Seeing this, the Dragon Slayer quickly dashed at the man, willing to prevent the incoming tragedy.

Bluenote shifted his glare at Natsu and used all of his gravity on him, successfully stopping him in his tracks. Natsu's knees bent along with his body, his feet sinking into the ground. Although he did not fall, standing was the biggest feat he could pull off right now.

This sight impressed Bluenote, who whistled. "You're still not falling, even after taking my full power? You're worth keeping alive, kid. Now then..." he turned back to Cana and started to walk in her direction. "Where did you get this magic from?"

The brunette gulped, but did not falter. "None of your business." she scoffed. _To use this magic, I need some time. But I won't get any with this guy in my face…_

Cana pulled a card from her deck and threw it at Natsu. It contained a writing that said **Cancel** , which expanded and released Natsu from the influence of Bluenote's gravity.

Natsu repeatedly clenched and relaxed his fist and smirked, before dashing at Bluenote. "Good job, card chick!" he praised her and threw a kick at the merc's head, who blocked it with his forearm.

"My name's Cana!" she reminded him, irritated, and threw two more cards at Bluenote, before jumping backwards. The man simply used his magic on the cards and pinned them to the ground, before knocking Natsu's leg away and pinning him back to the ground with his magic. Natsu fell to his knees, his hands crashing into the ground, breaking it. "Stay down." growled Bluenote and turned back to Cana.

Natsu groaned and tried to get up, to no avail. Knowing he was pinned, he sunk his hands deeper into the ground.

"I'll ask you one more time. How did it happen, that someone of your caliber managed to contain the magic, that obliterates everything deemed as a foe by the caster with the combined power of the sun, moon, and stars? The sheer thought is too ridiculous to be even considered a joke." asked menacingly Bluenote, as he made his way towards Cana.

The brunette was starting to panic. Even if she started to cast the magic now, he'd easily stop her. With everyone down, she was the only one standing. What should she do?

"Cana, get away from him!" roared Natsu, snapping her back to reality. She looked at him, unsure of what he meant, but upon meeting his commanding glare, she complied and jumped further back.

Ground beneath Bluenote's feet started to shake, and couple seconds later he was consumed by flames.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!_**

The merc was swallowed by a pillar of flames erupting from beneath his feet, blowing Cana back in the process. This caused him to lose control over his magic, which freed Natsu and the others from the influence of his magic.

Bluenote emerged from the flames, burned, and fell to his knees. Natsu used this opportunity to charge and nail him with a right hook, followed by a left one. He then placed his right hand on the man's chest and blew him back with his flames.

"Whatever it is you wanted to do, do it now!" Natsu shouted to Cana and followed after Bluenote. The merc stood up and glared at Natsu with pure bloodlust, before pointing his hand at him. Natsu was stopped in mid-air by gravity, unable to move.

Shortly after, rocks started to fly in Natsu's direction, slowly but surely trapping him in the debris.

"Out of my sight." growled Bluenote and squeezed the rocks tighter, making Natsu yell out in pain. Despite that, he smirked and looked at Bluenote through his bangs. "You fell for it." he grunted.

Bluenote's eyes widened in realisation. He quickly smashed Natsu into the nearby tree and turned to Cana, whose right arm was now glowing.

 ** _Gather! O river of light that's guided by the fairies!_**

 ** _Shine! In order to perish the fangs of evil!_**

 ** _FAIRY GLITTER!_**

A beam of light stroke Bluenote down from the skies, making him scream out in agony. Cana felt her right arm throbbing in pain, tears forming in her mind. Her magic was being drained at a ridiculous pace, but despite all that, she pushed through and gave it her all.

The light started to expand and cover more area, completely swallowing Bluenote up. Cana's skin began to crack, blood flowing down her arm to the ground. After couple more seconds, Cana's magic reached its limit, the spell breaking.

Cana lowered her arm, the mark still there. She panted heavily and fell to her knees, her eyes half-open.

Suddenly, she felt her throat being squeezed by something, as her immobile body was lifted off the ground. Its culprit was revealed to be Bluenote, who walked out of the dust cloud, severely injured, but still on his feet.

"How dare you scare me like that?" he asked in a merciless tone and smashed her into the ground, causing her to cry out in pain.

My magic...was it not enough?! Did I use too much before casting it?! She panicked in her thoughts.

"Even the most powerful spells are worth shit in the hands of an incompetent piece of filth like you. Now, tell me, where did you get it? Did you steal it off Mavis' grave? I refuse to believe garbage like you learned it on her own." asked her Bluenote and relaxes the pressure on her throat, but kept her in the air. In the meantime, Natsu started to silently melt the rocks that were trapping him.

"As if...I'd tell you..." gasped Cana.

"You know, every single spell in this world can be tracked down to the very same spell. All magic comes from one spell, the very first magic in this world." explained Bluenote.

Lucy's eyes widened upon hearing this. _Where did I hear this...Mom?_

"Which means, that even if you do not tell me, if I dig long enough. I will find it sooner or later." continued Bluenote. "Or, I could simply kill you and rip your arm off, taking it with me. Magic can be harvested even after death."

Cana shook in fear. Neither his face or voice told her that he's kidding – she was about to die.

Just when Bluenote was about to squeeze his hand and end Cana's life, Natsu ripped his right hand out of his prison and aimed it at the man.

 ** _FIRE DRAGON'S PURGATORY!_**

A powerful wave of flames launched itself at Bluenote, who raised his left hand and blocked the flames best to his ability. This caused him to release the grip he had on Cana, who started to cough, gasping for air.

"Zancrow's attack, huh?" muttered Bluenote and dispelled the flames to the sides. In the meantime, Natsu freed himself off the rocks and dashed at Bluenote, He slipped past the man's magic and kicked him in the liver, before pushing him back. Cana was released by gravity and fell right into Natsu's arm, who caught her. He picked her up bridal style and jumped back from Bluenote, who was already back on his feet.

"I will slaughter you all." he growled.

Natsu bared his fangs, but not for long. His glare softened and gave in to shock, before turning into a full blown sinister grin, all of his teeth exposed. This threw Bluenote off guard.

"The hell you smirking for?" he asked, a vein popping on his forehead.

Natsu continued to grin and relaxed his body, with Cana looking at him, also surprised.

"Why don't you look behind you?" asked the Dragon Slayer and motioned with his head behind himself.

Bluenote blinked in confusion, but soon felt a presence behind his figure. He slowly turned around, only to be nailed in the face by a powerful right straight that blew his head backwards and created a cloud of blood above him in the air.

Cana's eyes widened at the sight, while Natsu continued to grin.

"Y...you..."

* * *

"Can you move?" asked Meredy and pointed at Juvia's legs with her chin.

The rain woman tried to move, but soon hissed in pain. "Not yet. I think I need a minute or two."

"Right."

Both of them remained where they fell after their battle, neither willing to leave just yet, both of them lost in thoughts.

"May I ask you something?" Juvia broke the silence after a while.

"What is it?"

"How old are you?"

Meredy blinked in confusion. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing. It's just...as of late, people I fight are getting younger." Truth to be told, I'd like that to not become a trend."

Meredy blinked slowly. "Is that person the one who made you this eager to help me?"

Juvia nodded.

"I see." muttered Meredy. "I'm fourteen." she added after a longer while. Juvia merely smirked.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Both women jumped in their spots at the sound of the unknown voice. It turned out to belong to Zancrow, who walked out from behind a tree, frowning. "Meredy, what the hell is this supposed to be? Why are you chatting with this filth?"

The girl gulped in fear. "Zancrow, I..."

"Shut up." he growled. "You better not be acting friendly with these people. Or is it that you've lost to her? Becuase if you did...then we might have a problem."

Juvia tried to stand up, which came with great difficulty. The man's piercing red eyes were focused on her, ready to attack at any moment.

"This woman is my hostage. I am planning on using her against Fairy Tail." lied Meredy.

Zancrow shifted his eyes at the girl and narrowed them. "That true?" He received a nod in response. "All right."

Before she could react, Meredy was swept away by flames, which burned her, causing her to scream out in agony.

"Meredy!" yelled Juvia and attacked the God Slayer with her magic, only to be completely countered by the purging flames. She got blown back, her back smashing against a tree.

"Unfortunately for you, I've heard everything. How dare you lose to this trash? You no longer have a place in our guild." growled Zancrow and kicked Juvia in the ribs, making her gasp in pain.

"Leave her be!" roared Meredy.

"You shut your bitch mouth! Once I'm done with her, I will get rid of you! Patience, filth!" he yelled back.

"I need this woman, for Ultear's sake! Please, just listen to me!" pleaded the younger Kin.

"Huh?! Ultear's sake?!" repeated the Slayer. "You know, this is actually pretty convenient. I've got something interesting to tell ya."

Zancrow removed his foot from Juvia's chest and looked at Meredy. "I gotta say, it was pretty amusing for all those years, but now it's simply annoying. Do you know why we took you in? Why Ultear gives a shit about you?"

The girl did not reply, but listened nonetheless.

"It's because she sensed you've got potential. That's all. Because, let's be honest, why would she take a kid that she herself has orphaned?"

Meredy's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Zancrow grinned. "Ultear was the one who destroyed your town and killed your family. She simply overlooked you, and when you crawled out, she noticed your magic and took you in. That's the whole story."

"You're lying." denied the girl.

"Kain and Rusty were with her. I was there too. You can ask them later if you want."

Meredy dropped to her knees, her eyes empty. She could not believe it.

"Why...are you doing this?" asked hatefully Juvia and grabbed Zancrow's leg with her hand. The man looked down in disgust and kicked her in the face, turning her over.

"Do not touch me. Using my magic on you alone is making me puke." he whispered and set his hand ablaze.

"Looks like we've got something in common."

Before he could react, Zancrow was struck in the back of his head and crashed into the ground, before being kicked in the ribs. The kick raised him from under the water and suspended him in the air, as he coughed out blood. He was then blasted away by a spell and crashed into the tree, breaking it in the process.

Juvia raised her head and opened her eyes, her vision blurry. She then felt them widening at the familiar sight of a black coat and yellow lightning.

"I've been wondering why the flare was used, but it looks like there's some trash on the island." said Laxus, lightning crackling around his right fist.

"Laxus..." gasped Juvia in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"We saw the signal from the ship. Took us a while to get back, though." he explained.

Meredy simply stared at the man, not responding. From behind him, Juvia signalised her to run away, making sure he didn't notice. Unsure of what to do, she stood up and ran off into the wilds.

Zancrow used his flames to free himself of the wood and emerged from the tree, furious. "You've got some guts, punk."

Laxus cracked his right fist by clenching it, his lightning aura starting to surround his body. "That's my line, trash."

* * *

Levy wiped her forehead and put the needle down, examining her work. Gajeel's wounds were now sealed, but only on the surface. His insides were still in bad shape.

He looked at it and touched it with his fingers, hissing from pain. Still, he was satisfied with the results and patted the girl on the back, causing her to almost fall to her face. "See? I told you you could do it!" he smirked and stood up, warming his sore right arm up by moving it in circles.

"Don't even think about going out there! You still need rest!" scolded him Levy.

Gajeel grumbled something to himself and suddenly stopped moving, his expression growing serious. "Look like I won't have to go anywhere."

A figure emerged from the bushes, revealing itself to belong to Rustyrose. The man looked at the destroyed camp with amusement, before spotting fallen Elfman and Evergreen, who were now sleeping beside Mira, bandaged up.

"Ah, I've been wondering where this trash ran off to." sighed the Kin. "Looks like they lead me to even more trash. How truly unsightly." he shook his head and sighed sarcastically.

"Say that again." threatened Gajeel and made a step forward.

"Gajeel..." whimpered Levy and clutched his arm, afraid. None of them was in any condition to fight.

"And I was told Dragon Slayers had good ears." smirked Rusty sarcastically "Well, no matter. I will finish you all right here, right now."

"You sure about that?" asked a voice behind him.

The Kin quickly jumped away, just in time to avoid a sword thrust aimed at his back. "Attacking from behind...fitting of garbage such as your guild."

Gajeel scoffed in annoyance at the sight of the newcomers. "I thought they were further...Stole my moment."

Freed swung his sword to the side, Bickslow standing right beside him. "By the looks of it, you've had your chance already. You're in no position to complain." he said.

Gajeel grinned. "Fair enough."

"No matter how many of you gather around, you're still no match for my ultimate magic!" boasted Rustyrose and adjusted his glasses.

"It's a shame we'll never find that out." said Freed, confusing the Kin. "Before revealing myself, I've drawn runes all around the camp. I've put one single rule on them, but it's a very effective one. Those, who walk inside of their range, will be unable to use their magic. Unless they wear the mark of Fairy Tail, that is."

Rusty looked like someone slapped him across the face. Not believing a single word, he tried to create a coin, only to realise he was unable to use magic. At all.

"You're screwed, buddy." smirked Bickslow and readied his dolls, with Freed and Gajeel standing on both of his sides respectively.

This moment marked the first time Rustyrose had felt fear.

* * *

Gray froze all of the orbs coming his way and shattered them into pieces. Ultear merely smirked and summoned more of them.

"You do not stand a chance." she taunted. He simply scoffed and punched his palm.

 ** _ICE MAKE: LANCE!_**

Multiple lances rose from the ground and charged at Ultear, who simply swung her arm to the side and smirked. A second later, the weapons turned into steam, their time accelerated.

"You cannot beat me with ice." she declared and attacked with her orbs once again.

Gray ducked under them and dashed at Ultear, punching his hand one more time. This time he created swords, which he used to slash at the women. Before they could slice her, however, they turned back into steam, and soon later Gray found himself being defenseless. Ultear used this chance to kick him in the stomach with her right leg, and then in the face with her left.

Gray staggered on his feet and grimaced in pain. He was then attacked by multiple orbs, which banged him pretty badly.

Fed up, he expanded his magic around his body and froze the orbs, before creating a massive hammer and dropping it on Ultear, who accelerated it once again.

"Keep trying, seeing you despair fills me with joy." mocked Ultear. "I've been itching to kill you ever since our eyes met, Ur's disciple."

Gray's eyes narrowed. "You hate your mother." he declared.

"What gave it away?" she asked rhetorically and attacked with orbs one more time, all of them dodged.

"Do you even know how much you meant to her?!" he snapped and created another set of lances, all of them turned into steam.

"Never had the pleasure." she replied and caught him in a formation of orbs, rendering him unable to escape. Shortly after, she started to attack him orb by orb, accelerating their speed to the point where dodging them was impossible. Gray cried out in pain with each hit, and after a dozen of them fell to his knees. This caused Ultear to release the formation and walk up to him.

"I've learned this magic just for the purpose of canceling hers. You may not be her, but killing you will be just as pleasant. A disciple of trash is trash himself." the taunted him openly.

Gray snapped. He raised his right hand and froze the raindrops falling onto both of them, turning them into tiny, sharp blades.

Ultear's throat and chest were now surrounded by blades of ice, ready to impale themselves into her at any moment. Shocked, she looked him in the eyes, his pupils small and rid of mercy.

"Move even a finger, and all of those will find their way into your body." he threatened.

Ultear smirked. "Go on, do it. You do not have what it takes to take a life, that's not something she'd teach you."

Gray's eyes widened a little, and one of the blades pinched skin on her neck, drawing a drop of blood. "No, it's not. But it's something I've learned myself not so long ago."

Ultear gulped, her confidence oozing out like from an untied balloon. "Jolene..." she muttered quietly.

"There's only one thing I simply cannot understand." said Gray. "How could someone like Ur's daughter turn out to be this much of a garbage human being? Did you get nothing from her, except looks?"

"Unfortunately, she abandoned me before I could learn anything from her." replied Ultear with a low growl.

Gray's expression softened. "What?"

"She left me when I was small. Took me to a research facility and left to live my life as a lab rat. At first, I thought it was only temporary, but it lasted a year. And when I was finally able to run away and return home, I saw her laughing with two unknown to me brats, all three of them as carefree as they could get." continued the woman.

"Me and Lyon..." deduced Gray.

"By that point, I've seen enough. She got rid of me and replaced me with someone better. So I've decided to dedicate my life and destroy her, but unfortunately, she died before I got the chance."

Gray scoffed and released Ultear from his magic, much to her surprise. "There's also a lot that you haven't seen as well." he whispered, bangs covering his eyes.

Ultear's eyes narrowed. "Don't even try to feed me lies. I know what I saw."

"Did you also see her during the night? What her usual routine was?" he asked her, his voice breaking. Receiving no response, he continued. "I can't even count how many times me and Lyon have seen it. Her, kneeling in her room, the very same dress in her hands, as she hugged it to her chest, her tears falling onto it. For the two years I've spent with her, there hasn't been a night where I haven't heard her not cry."

"Are you trying to soothe me? Because you're simply wasting your time." Ultear hissed dangerously. "She abandoned me, that's the fact!"

"Do you really expect me to believe that after seeing all this? After seeing the pain in her eyes?!" he roared, no longer able to hold his feelings. "And now, after all these years, I find out her daughter, the one person she loved more than anyone in the world has turned out like...this. Deceiving, cunning, manipulative, cruel. How is this fair?!"

Ultear did not say anything. Instead, she frowned and focused on dwelling this weird sensation forming in her heart. Was it doubt? No, definitely not. She knew the truth, and only the truth.

"Ur is dead. That is a fact." proclaimed Gray and took off his shirt. "But I'm not, and neither are you. As her disciple, I feel that it's my responsibility now."

The Kin smirked sarcastically. "And what would that be?"

Gray's hair stood up, along with his magic. An icy, misty aura started to surround his body, the air becoming unpleasantly cold. "I will discipline you in her stead, and make you see the truth. I shall be your salvation."

Ultear licked her lips and summoned more orbs. "Be my guest."

* * *

Bluenote flipped in the air and landed on his feet, his lips cut. He wiped them off and stared at the newcomer, whose rugged cloak flowed with the wind like a flag.

Cana looked at him from Natsu's arms, a warm sensation of security and peace, as well as nostalgia filling her heart. "Father..."

Gildarts stared at Bluenote with narrowed pupils, a vein pulsing on his forehead. One thing was certain: he was livid.

"Trying to crush Master, and the kids...you sure have balls, punk." he growled.

"So you're Gildarts, eh?" asked Bluenote and cracked his sore neck. "You sure pack a punch." as soon as he said that, Gildarts was right by his face and nailed him with yet another punch, one that smashed him into the ground. He then lifted his right leg and put it on the merc's head, grinding it into the ground.

"All of you, get out of here. Take Master to safety." he ordered.

Natsu nodded and walked back to the hole, Cana still in his arms. Lucy and the others, who were no longer being trapped by gravity exchanged smiles between themselves and greeted Natsu back.

"One hell of a fight out there." praised him Lily.

"Thanks." said the Dragon Slayer, slightly thrown off by the compliment.

"Cana, how are you?" asked concerned Lucy.

"Fine, just tired." smiled weakly the brunette. "You can put me down now, you know. At least buy me a drink before carrying me like that." she teased Natsu, who quickly put her down while muttering a "sorry"."

"Let's get out of here. Gildarts will take care of that guy." said Carla, while Natsu took Makarov from Wendy.

The group emerged from the hole and started to walk away from the scene. Cana looked at Gildarts one more time, who was still pinning Bluenote down.

"Natsu." called out the man. The Dragon Slayer stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him. "You did well." praised him Gildarts.

With a weird feeling in his chest, Natsu nodded awkwardly and walked into the wilds along with the others. He wasn't too familiar with emotions, but for a moment, it sounded like Gildarts' voice expressed...pride. Something he's heard only once before, from someone who's been on his mind for a while now.

* * *

Erza ran through the island, a sword in her right hand. She used it to cut down any vines, branches, and trees in her way. Suddenly, she heard something weird and jumped back, just in time to avoid being impaled by sharpened branches.

"As expected of someone of your caliber. I've been waiting for you." said a male voice.

Erza sharpened her senses, awaiting another attack. "Show yourself!"

A figure started to emerge from the tallest, thickest tree that way before her, with a man with messy brown hair standing in her way.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Azuma, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory." introduced himself the man.

"Erza Scarlet, of Fairy Tail."

"I know. I have been searching for you. So far, I've only had the pleasure of fighting cats and women. though my hunger was satisfied for a bit, not so long ago." said Azuma.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "Cats and women? What did you do?"

"I have eliminated them all, of course." he said, much to her shock. "Right now my comrades should be finishing off your guildmates as we speak."

"Finshing them off? Don't be absurd! We have Mirajane, Laxus and Salamander on our side!" yelled outraged Erza.

"I do not know anything about this Laxus person, but Demon Mirajane, I have defeated myself." stated calmly Azuma.

Erza's eyes widened in shock. Mira was down?

"As for Salamander..." continued the man, dragging the sentence out, as if curious of her reaction. "...he was one of the first to perish."

Erza's eyes widened. True, she's yet to sense, hear, or meet him, but…

"Impossible." muttered Erza, her voice barely above whisper.

"I assume he was close to you?" questioned Azuma. "It appears that he was. Although giving you my condolences would be out of place, I understand your pain. However, this is war. He fell under the hand of my comrade. I have witnessed it firsthand."

Erza remained silent. She Requipped out of her Heart Kreuz Armor and dosed her Black Wing Armor, hair covering her face.

"Perhaps you think I'm lying?" asked Azuma.

Erza lifted her head, and as soon as her eyes met his, for a split second, Azuma was paralysed with fear. He was no longer looking at Erza. It was...someone else.

"No." she replied, her voice too calm to match her flaming eyes. "I will test your words with my sword, and figure out the truth on my own."

Azuma inhaled through his nose and prepared himself. The thrill of the upcoming battle was almost unbearable.

 **End of Chapter 27. To be continued in Chapter 28: Titania.**

* * *

 **That feeling when I meet my schedule for the first time in...months. Huh...**

 **Changes:**

 **\- Natsu held his own against Bluenote in battle. I never intended to have him win, or lose it, it was simply to showcase his strength, as well as give you guys something fun to read.**

 **\- Cana did hit Bluenote with Fairy Glitter, but it was simply not enough in her current state. In the mange, Bluenote canceled it, here he was at her mercy, hence his reaction**

 **\- Gray used more talk no jutsu than in the manga**

 **\- Laxus vs Zancrow**

 **\- Rustyrose stepped into poo**

 **\- some chronological changes**

 **I hope you liked the chapter, it was really tough to write it (mostly because I wrote it within 30 hours). Make sure to review and see you next time!**


	29. Titania

**714 favorites, 854 follows, 444 reviews, 156,873 views, 28 chapters and 29 updates. Those are the numbers we've managed to hit during the past year.**

 **Today marks the first anniversary of "Of Inner Demons." Never in my life had I expected that I would manage to keep writing this story for so long, and never in my life did I expect such reception. Ever since Chapter 1, I was being overwhelmed by how much you guys liked it. Just...thanks.**

 **I know the story has had its ups and downs, especially in this arc, but I hope we continue to get better together, and you guys read my stuff for the time to come. I've got plans up until Alvarez, so...I guess we should get there :D**

 **Once again, thank you, and enjoy the chapter.**

 **PS: Next chapter will not come out until second half of June. I am flying to my wonderful girlfriend this Friday, and will be unable to write. 3 chapters in 6 days should keep you guys happy, for now :D**

* * *

Erza kicked the ground and dashed upwards, flying towards Azuma like a bullet. She changed her swords into axes and hacked at the man, who evaded by jumping in the air. He attacked his feet to a branch and hanged from it upside down, while gesturing with his hands. Two hands grew out of the tree Erza was standing on and attempted to trap her, but she had none of that. She slashed them both in half, killing their momentum.

The knight followed her opponent once again, who released his feet from the wood and fell down, dodging the strikes one more time. Azuma landed on the branch Erza was standing on a second ago and raised his right hand, willing to counter attack. This plan was, however, stopped, with Erza throwing her left axe directly at the man's head. Azuma quickly slipped to the right, with Erza following through with her remaining weapon. She swung at the man, who stopped it with one of his creations, locking Erza in a stalemate.

 _This magic of his...he appears to have free control over trees. In this terrain, I'm at a heavy disadvantage. If only I could take this somewhere else…_ wondered the knight in her thoughts.

Both mages stared at one another, before Azuma motioned his fingers and grew out vines from beneath Erza, that struck her in the abdomen and launched her in the air. The redhead gasped from pain, but regained control quickly, and Requipped into **Flame Empress Armor** , which she used to burn the vines that followed her. With that taken care of, she dashed at Azuma and successfully slipped under the branches he created to attack her.

Erza obtained Azuma's back and gripped her sword tighter, willing to strike, The man simply aimed at her with his left hand, unimpressed by the feat.

 _ **BLEVE**_

Erza has been blown away by a point-blank explosion that forced her to drop off Azuma's footing and secure herself on a lower branch, her armor cracked and steaming. Thanks to her armor's enchantments, she avoided major injuries.

"Is this the extent of your abilities?" asked Azuma, disappointment creeping in his voice. "I expected more from you."

"So did I." replied the knight, much to his surprise. Suddenly, he felt stinging, painful sensation on his back, as one of Erza's remote control fireballs found its way to his back, one she launched while being hit by the explosion.

Azuma grunted in pain, but grinned through the pain and looked at the knight with enjoyment. Erza's eyes narrowed. He was clearly enjoying this situation. The thrill of death must have excited him. Unfortunately for him, she was different.

"You should be careful where you put your feet." said the Kin and pointed at Erza's legs.

The knight blinked and looked down, only to notice multiple scorching marks, all of them glowing more and more with each second. Realisation hit her like a brick, and she used all of the strength she had in her legs to jump away from the mines.

Azuma snapped his fingers and blew them up, the explosion partially taking Erza in as well. She cried out in pain, the armor on her legs breaking from the impact. Her back planted itself against a tree, as she slid down along its trunk, before falling onto her knees.

Erza assessed her damage and realised it was nowhere near as serious as she expected, but her armor was damaged beyond further use. Scoffing, she stood up and Requipped out of it, this time dosing **Heaven's Wheel Armor.**

Now that she got to taste his power, Erza found it very likely that Mira could fall by his hand. However, that also made the other part of Azuma's boasting a reality, and cast a shadow over her mind, dulling her senses in the process.

 _Natsu…_

* * *

Gildarts continued to stomp on Bluenote's head, his pressure increasing with each second.

"This exam was supposed to test the will and passion of these kids. It was their ticket into adulthood of the magic world. And you stepped all over it, and turned it into dust." said quietly Gildarts, anger dancing on his tongue. "For that, I will do the same to you."

Bluenote looked up from the ground and smirked angrily. "Aren't you getting too emotional, Gildarts?" he asked. "How long as you going to keep your foot on my head, bastard?" he growled and grabbed Gildarts' leg with his hand. Before he knew it, Gildarts lost contact with the ground, courtesy of Bluenote's magic. The merc used this chance to plant his fist deep into Gildarts' stomach, causing him to groan in pain.

"All of you getting in my way...I will get this spell, even if I have to drag that bitch's corpse back with me." threatened Bluenote and threw another punch aimed at Gildarts' face, however before he could land his strike, Gildarts landed his, right on Bluenote's jaw.

"You'll have to go over my dead body, first." he said.

Bluenote spat some blood out. "That's the plan." he said, before both men clashed their right fists into one another, ground beneath their feet cracking from the combined force. "That kid from earlier was fun, but with you, it looks like I'll be able to fly with no limitations."

"Trust me, you're going to fly in more ways than just one." growled Gildarts and went for a headbutt, with Bluenote doing the same.

"I look forward to it." grinned the merc and increased the gravity to its limits. Gildarts groaned from the strain, but did not falter. He could still fight just fine.

He followed with a punch to the jaw the landed right on Bluenote's chin, rocking him. Seeing that it was effective, Gildarts moved in for one more, only to be stopped by Bluenote, who ripped pieces of debris out of the ground and threw them at the Crush mage, trapping him. Gildarts simply growled and used his magic to turn the rocks into tiny stones, much to the merc's surprise.

He was even more surprised to be hit right on his left temple and thrown into the ground face first, with Gildarts putting his foot on his head once again.

"So, back to it." said Gildarts and grinned.

Bluenote was livid.

* * *

Zancrow lit his hands ablaze, his eyes glaring at Laxus. "You sure talk a lot of shit for someone from such a puny guild." he hissed.

Laxus cracked his other fist and replied. "It looks like we both really think alike."

Zancrow roared and unleashed his flames at Laxus, surprising him _Black flames? This guy is not normal._

The Dragon Slayer guarded himself with his left forearm and focused his magic in his hand, blocking the flames. Despite his best effort, they still burned, further confirming his suspicions.

In the meantime, Zancrow dashed forward and used his fire as cover to sneak up on Laxus, much to his surprise. The God Slayer planted his fist deep into Laxus' stomach, making him grunt in pain, which was then followed by a punch to the jaw. He then blasted Laxus with his flames once again, pushing him back and finishing his rush.

"Laxus!" called to him Juvia, worried.

Laxus slid on the balls of his feet, but not far. Although burned, the damage was low. "Stop panicking." he told her.

Zancrow smirked. "Not so tough anymore, huh? I've already taken care of one Dragon Hunter, I can make it two. You're all trash compared to me."

Suddenly, Laxus vanished, only to reappear right in front of Zancrow. "Be my guest." he said, before punching the God Slayer in the gut in revenge. Zancrow coughed up blood, left without air. Laxus grabbed him by the hair as a followup and delivered a devastating knee to his nose, followed by a right overhand to the temple, that smashed him into the ground. Laxus kicked Zancrow in the ribs and made him fly upwards, before grabbing him by the ankle and throwing him over his head like a doll. He smashed Zancrow into the ground, and then repeated the motion to the other side. After that, he threw the God Slayer into the tree he crawled out of not so long ago.

"You...bastard..." he groaned, and slowly stood up.

"I already know who fought you before me, and I think I figured out why you're the one who came out on top." deduced calmly Laxus. "This ugly mug of yours told me everything I needed to know."

Zancrow scowled. Although it's been a while since his last fight, the damage he received had only gotten worse. Bruises dosed his face, ones that popped out long after the fight. Not to mention the light, but noticeable burns he has on his body.

"However, unlike him..." continued Laxus after crossing his arms on his chest. "I don't use fire."

"Doesn't make a difference." snarled Zancrow hatefully.

Laxus' eyes narrowed. He softly shifted his right leg under the water and used his lightning, electrocuting the area. Zancrow howled out in pain, lightning frying him up. After couple seconds, Laxus stopped his attack and allowed Zancrow to fall to his knees, as he panted heavily.

"I use lightning. We are currently knee-deep in water, with rain falling onto as without stopping." pointed out Laxus in a sarcastic voice. "Do you get where I'm going with this?"

Zancrow scowled and stood up, before using his magic. The water around him started to turn into steam, its level slowly, but surely getting lower.

"Clever boy." smirked mockingly Laxus.

The God Slayer roared in anger and charged at Laxus, who dodged his punch and nailed him with one of his own, knocking him back to his place. Zancrow shook his head and puffed his cheeks out, with Laxus doing the same.

 _ **FIRE GOD'S BELLOW!**_

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Flames and lightning collided in one spot, expanding and heating up the area unbearably. With neither men willing to stand down, they continued to breathe their magic out until their attacks nullified one another, the struggle ending in a tie.

Laxus clicked his tongue in irritation. _So his type of magic puts us on even ground. How annoying…_

Zancrow set his right hand on fire and shaped them into a blade. He then dashed forward and slashed at Laxus, who simply turned his body into an electric current and dodged out of the way. He then materialised behind the God Slayer and kicked him in the back of the head, crashing him into little of what remained of the pond they were fighting in. With Zancrow in the water, Laxus electrocuted it once again, causing him to snap out of the water and cry out in pain.

"You better vaporize it all soon enough, or I'll keep doing it." taunted Laxus. This only enraged Zancrow even further, who threw himself forward and bombarded the Dragon Slayer with a rain of punches and kicks.

Although Laxus blocked or dodged them all, Zancrow's flames still did their thing, stinging upon each contact. Fed up with this feeling, Laxus threw a right hook, which was dodged. Zancrow ducked underneath the arm and caught Laxus on the ribs, who grunted in pain. With anger building up, he quickly retaliated with a left hook of his own and caught Zancrow straight on the jaw, drawing blood in the process. He then followed up with a right uppercut to the chin and finished with a kick to the stomach. Zancrow fell to the ground and coughed up in pain.

Laxus stared down at his opponent and tried to use his magic on the water for the third time. This, however, caused him to drop his guard, which was used against him. Zancrow opened his eyes and quickly jumped to Laxus, before putting his hands on his chest and grinning wickedly.

 _ **FIRE GOD'S PURGATORY!**_

Laxus was swallowed by purging black flames, their heat causing the remaining water to rapidly turn into steam, which greatly reduced the visibility. Zancrow continued to pour his flames out, willing to turn Laxus into a piece of charcoal.

Juvia wanted to call out to him, but the steam was so hot it'd burn her throat if she had opened her mouth. Instead, she focused her senses and tried to feel his magic, praying in thoughts for his safety.

After couple more seconds, Zancrow stopped the spell and panted heavily, a tired smile glued to his face. "This is the spell I used to kill Salamander. Let's see how you handle-"

His sentence was cut off by a powerful right hook to the temple, that almost rendered him unconscious. It was followed by a hand being put on his sternum, before he was blasted back by a stream of lighting. Zancrow crashed into the tree one more time, shocked and unable to comprehend the situation.

"Don't flatter yourself, punk." growled a voice, which belonged to Laxus. His coat was ruined, and his body was covered in burns all over the torso, especially his arms and chest, but none of them was serious. The damage he received was lower than anticipated. "You didn't kill anyone, and you will not kill anyone."

Zancrow was starting to feel fear. Was he really going to lose? To Fairy Tail?!

The sensation of incoming defeat motivated him like never before. He let his emotions control his actions, and raised his magic to its absolute limits, before charging at Laxus in a mad fury. The man simply dodged the incoming punch and answered with one of his own, then another, and then the third. Before Zancrow knew it, he was caught in a barrage of punches being laid down all over his body, hitting hard and with no mercy.

Laxus kicked Zancrow in the stomach and blew him back, before clenching his fist and bringing it down with his arm, which caused a lightning to fall onto Zancrow from the sky. The God Slayer cried out in pain and fell to his knees, strength leaving his body, fast.

"I think it's the right time we finished this." noted Laxus and lit up his right fist.

Zancrow scowled at him and slowly stood up to his feet. "Yeah, I agree." he muttered, before unleashing his flames with their full power. He raised his hands above his head and started to form them into an enormous ball.

Laxus narrowed his eyes, and covered his face from the heat. "So that's how it is." he scoffed.

Zancrow continued to build up his magic, putting everything he had into the attack. "Let's try seeing you make your way out of this one!" he laughed maniacally, and threw the ball.

 _ **SECRET DRAGON GOD'S ARTS: FLAME GOD'S WRATH!**_

Laxus was swallowed by the flames, which disintegrated everything on their path. The ball blew up, fire quickly spreading everywhere, turning the area into a literal hellzone. Zancrow continued to laugh loudly, convinced of his victory. "Another one bites the dust! That's what you get, you inferior scum!"

"You just don't learn, don't you?"

Zancrows laughter was interrupted by a powerful blow to his kidneys, that made him squeak out in pain. Laxus grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around, before starting to repeatedly beat him, forcefully keeping the God Slayer on his feet. Laxus finished his onslaught with a punch to the gut, that almost robbed Zancrow of his consciousness.

"I can turn into lightning. I slipped out of that little attack of yours before you even cast it." whispered Laxus into his ear. "If you wanted to make sure you hit me with it, you should have done it like this..."

Laxus opened the fist he was using to keep Zancrow steady and blasted him point-blank with a torrent of lightning that blew the Kin away like a doll, and made him crash into a nearby tree, where he remained immobile, defeated.

The Dragon Slayer straightened himself up and sighed, massaging his sore neck. He then turned over to Juvia, who was hiding a good distance away. "You good?" he called out to her. She simply nodded in response.

Laxus gave her a nod of his own and looked in the camp's direction, his thoughts with the rest of the guild.

"I sure hope they're doing as good I am..."

* * *

Erza flew towards Azuma and summoned several dozens of blades, which she used to throw at him. The man manipulated the tree beneath his feet and used it to wrap himself in a defensive cocoon, which blocked all of the blades. Erza clicked her tongue in annoyance and slashed it with the blades she had in her hands, only to realise she was unable to cut through, both of her swords stuck.

Seeing that she had no means of getting through this way, she abandoned her blades and summoned new ones, plunging them into Azuma's defenses one after another. She ran, jumped, and charged all around it, leaving her blades all over the cocoon, not even close to getting through.

"Naive." muttered Azuma and snapped his fingers, which made a fist grow out from beneath Erza and push her into a branch above them. The knight wheezed out in pain and started to fall, before quickly regaining her senses and flying out of the way of the vines that followed after her. Seeing that, Azuma changed his strategy. He snapped his fingers and created vines, that pulled out blades from his previous defense. He grabbed them by the hilt and started to throw them at Erza, one by one, their number increasing with each throw.

Erza sucked her breath in and started to knock her own blades down, successfully dealing with them all. Azuma then hardened nearby leaves, sharpening them in the process and threw them all at Erza.

 _ **RAMUS SICA!**_

Erza grit her teeth and started to rapidly knock down all of the leaves, best to her ability, which came with greater difficulty than her swords. Some of them passed by her defenses and took pieces of her armor with them, cutting her in the process. With a furry of her blades, Erza managed to knock down all of them, finally getting enough room to make a move of her own.

Azuma merely scoffed and waved his fingers and before she knew it, she was struck by a giant fist made out of wood that pushed her through several branches, causing her to cry out in pain. The hand then opened and grabbed her, before throwing her aside, making her crash through yet another branch, making her roll and bounce on the branch beneath the one she fell through like a ball, before she managed to stab her sword into the wood and stop her momentum, pieces of her broken armor flying all over the area.

Erza Requipped out of the remains of **Heaven's Wheel Armor** and looked at Azuma hatefully, before growling and dashing forward, changing armors once again. Now in her **Armadura Fairy** , Erza dashed forward, her speed greatly increased. This, however, was not enough to surprise Azuma, who carefully observed her movements, before using his magic at the right time.

The man watched Erza's legs, and picked the exact moment both of her legs were off the ground, giving him a chance. He used her footing against her and trapped her right leg by wrapping wood around it, killing her charge. Erza looked down in surprise, only to realise she was being wrapped all over her body, her legs by the footing, and her arms by vines that creeped up on her from behind.

Erza managed to cut down some of the vines with her right sword, but her left hand was immobilized in the process. Considering it a good enough outcome, Azuma smirked and snapped his fingers.

 _ **CHAIN BURST!**_

Explosions started to make their way along the vines, before getting to Erza, swallowing her in a massive explosion that shook the area. Azuma was forced to cover his eyes from sharp pieces of wood and dust, the wind pressure getting to him. However, against his calculations, this was not the only thing to come his way, as soon he felt his right shoulder opening in a cut, with Erza dashing through him.

Azuma turned around to spot her. Although injured, her armor remained in one piece, cracked, but still perfectly fine to use. The knight threw her left sword at Azuma, who dodged it without using his magic and focused it on Erza, hitting her with yet another fist of wood. Erza caught it with her body and struggled to push it back, but to no avail. Figuring out it was pointless, she slid off of it and stabbed its core with her sword, before flipping in the air and getting on top of it. She then started to run on top of it, before kicking it and dashing at Azuma like a bullet.

The man was forced to throw himself to the side to avoid being impaled, and jumped down. Erza flipped in the air and landed horizontally against the tree trunk, bending her knees to follow him. However, before she did that, she looked below her feet and stopped the familiar marks that belonged to his mines. Clicking her tongue, she jumped off the tree, the explosion pushing her further away. She landed several meters away and searched the area, Azuma nowhere to be found.

"I'm disappointed." declared a voice behind her, and before she could react, Erza was kicked in the neck and thrown off the branch. Her back connected with the wood beneath Azuma, a grunt escaping her mouth. The knight slowly stood up and glared at Azuma, her breathing heavy.

"This is not the Titania I dreamed of facing." said Azuma. "You constantly drop your guard, your movements are sloppy...perhaps your emotions are the cause of this?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "None of your business." she said dangerously. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course I do." admitted the man. "I seek strength to test myself and face strong opponents. We're the same, Erza."

The redhead closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, much to Azuma's surprise. "You're wrong. Competing with others is not my reason to obtain strength."

"Then what is it?"

"I seek strength to keep those dear to me safe. I want to be strong to make sure they do not suffer. As long as I can guarantee that, I'm satisfied."

Azuma's eyes narrowed. "I see. Then this is the perfect opportunity, considering lives of your friends are on line here. I think it'd be for the best if you'd gotten serious by now, and showed me this strength of yours." said the Kin.

"What are you trying to say?" asked the redhead, dread creeping in her chest.

"Perhaps all you need is some motivation..."

"What have you done?" she questioned, letting Azuma get to her.

Azuma's eyes turned into a piercing glare, as he raised his hands. "I'm saying time's up." he said, before clapping them in front of his chest, causing the island to shake.

* * *

Bluenote landed in rocks once again, courtesy of Gildarts' punch. The merc wiped his bloodied lips and scowled. Despite being under constant influence of his gravity, Gildarts has yet to show any openings. Feeling humiliated that someone could endure his magic to this extent, Bluenote ripped the piece of earth Gildarts was standing on and flipped it along with the man, much to his mild surprise.

Bluenote then motioned with his fingers and crashed the rock into the ground, shattering it in the process. After that, he spread his hands to the sides and brought them together, all of the pieces of debris in the area being pulled towards Gildarts. With each rock making contact, the dust cloud was becoming bigger and bigger, making it difficult to see the results. Once Bluenote used everything he could, he canceled his magic and stared at the cloud in anticipation.

To his shock Gildarts walked out unharmed, his clothes dusted. Nearly popping a vein, Bluenote ripped out a big chunk of the ground and threw it at his opponent. Just when it was about to make contact it shattered into thousands of small stones, Gildarts not moving even an inch to do so.

"You done?" he asked, irritated and dashed at Bluenote, before kicking him in the stomach and sending him fly backwards. The merc landed on his back and slid on the ground. "Looks like the kids have beaten the shit out of you. Your magic is dropping quite fast." noted Gildarts and started to walk towards Bluenote.

Suddenly, Gildarts grimaced and grabbed his chest, before dropping to his knee. _What the hell is going on? My magic..._

Seeing this, Bluenote frowned and looked at the fallen Tenrou Tree. "That damn geezer...you've given Azuma some messed up orders, haven't you?" he asked, before standing up and walking up to Gildarts, staring him down.

The Crush mage looked up, only to have his head stomped on and grinded into the ground, as magic continued to leave his body.

"My turn." declared Bluenote, before putting as much gravity on Gildarts as he could, pushing the man deep into the ground, making him groan out in pain.

* * *

"Answer me!" roared Erza and readied herself, about to charge.

"My magic is Grand Tree Arc. I control the trees and the energy within them." explained Azuma. "I am also the one who blew up Tenrou Tree. I had only one job – to rob mages of Fairy Tail of their divine protection and to take control over the magic of the island."

Erza's eyes widened. "So, you're telling me that..."

"I am currently in complete control of Tenrou Island's magic." finished her thought Azuma. "It took some time, but it is finally done. Of course, this also means that I have robbed every mage bearing Fairy Tail's mark of their magic. Right now, your friends are at my guild's mercy."

Erza started to panic. _I can't sense anyone, he's not bluffing. No, I couldn't sense anyone before either, Wait a second…_

"If that's the case, why is my magic intact?" she asked him, suspicious.

"I have left your magic as it is, because I want to challenge you when you're at your best." he answered. "Right now you are the only mage of Fairy Tail capable to use magic. Their fate lies in your hand."

Erza gripped her sword so her the hilt almost cracked. "How awfully kind of you." she snarled sarcastically.

"It is not the way I'd like to do things, either." he said grimly, visible upset about his actions. "Those are Master Hades' orders."

"In that case, as soon as you fall by my blade, you will restore everyone's magic!" she demanded and pointed her blade at him.

"I swear on my life." he nodded. "If you defeat me, that is."

Not wasting even a second, Erza kicked the wood and dashed upwards, Requipping into her Black Wing Armor once again. She slashed at Azuma horizontally, which he jumped over. Erza regained her position and followed him, slashing at him one more time. This time, however, he used his magic to block the strike with a wooden pillar and blew it up in Erza's face.

The knight was blown back by the explosion, but she remained uninjured, having put up her guard just in time to catch the explosion on her sword and gauntlets. She spread her wings and followed after Azuma, who was now jumping upwards to make some distance. Surprised to see her recover this quickly, he extended the surrounding branches and had them attack Erza, only for her to dodge them all mid-air.

The Kin spun around a branch and landed on it, before raising his right arm above his head, with roots forming into a ball above his figure. Once satisfied with its size, Azuma threw the ball at Erza, who readied her sword to cut it in half.

Before she did that, however, her instincts cried out and forced her body to avoid contact at any cost, throwing her body to the side. Erza watched the ball crash into the tree behind her and blow up, the explosion splitting the tree in half, its upper half slowly starting to fall down.

Erza stared at this devastating damage, cold sweat running down her face. The firepower of her opponent was something to be feared, and the fact she was about to face this devastation firsthand did not make it easier.

"Do you have the luxury to look away?" asked a voice behind her. Just when she turned around, she noticed Azuma right in her face. The man grabbed her right wrist with his left hand, preventing her from using her blade, and punched her with his right. Erza answered by grabbed him by his shirt and headbutting him in the nose, much to his shock. The then followed with a nasty left elbow across his face and kicked him away, breaking the contact.

Erza followed him and threw her sword at his head, which he caught with his roots. Remembering how dangerous it was to leave her weapons in his hands, Erza Requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor, with her Black Wing blade vanishing as well. She threw a powerful right punch to his face, which he caught with his forearms crossed over his face. Soon after both mages engaged in a wild exchange of blows, both of them momentarily stopping using their magic.

Erza swiftly dodged Azuma's punch and stepped in, delivering a devastating right uppercut to the stomach in the meantime. The Kin was suspended in time for a second, which Erza used to headbutt him one more time. Azuma staggered back and braced himself for Erza's followup, which came in a form of a kick to the stomach. The Kin grabbed her leg after receiving the blow and pulled it forward, at the same time slipping his body to the side, making her pass by him. While she did so, he caught her with his right elbow, smacking her across the face. Erza recovered quickly and turned around, throwing a punch with her left hand, while Azuma did so with his right. Their fists crossed and both mages struck one another, blowing themselves back simultaneously.

Both mages landed several meters back, with Erza Requipping into her **Flight Armor**. She bent her knees and started to bounce off the trees like a ball, her figure leaving blur, rendering her movements nearly impossible to follow with human eye.

Azuma breathed out slowly and followed Erza's movements best to his ability, anticipating an opportunity to strike. He found one with Erza breaking her movement pattern and dashing at him at an angle. Azuma slipped to the side to avoid her blade and delivered a powerful palm strike to her stomach, stopping her in her tracks. Erza gasped from pain, her momentum killed.

"No matter how great your speed is, if your movements are predictable, it does not matter." told her Azuma and nailed her with a left hook that threw her to the ground. He then grew out a palm from the wood beneath his feet, which he used to strike Erza, pushing her back. The knight crashed into the nearby tree and fell onto her face, her entire body aching. Azuma waved his fingers and created a wooden fist, which he used to attack her from above. The redhead clumsily rolled out of the way and fell down, landing on a branch beneath. She then resumed to bounce off the trees, trying to buy time to think of her next move.

 _His magic power has increased. The only area I had the upper hand in was our hand-to-hand exchange, but he's taken a notice of that. He won't go for another one again._ She thought after kicking herself off the trunk. He was right, her moves were sloppy and unorganized. Her brain was focused entirely on her friends and their well-being. She knew she was on a race against time, but she could not stop overthinking the situation, and how things may have been going elsewhere. The pressure was stronger than anything she's ever come to face in her life. And the news of Natsu's possible death.

 _Natsu…_

Erza lost focus once again and soon found herself surrounded by dozens of vines, that started to slowly close her in. Knowing full well what was going to follow, she clenched her teeth, fed up with this magic.

Outside of the trap, Azuma motioned his hands according to the vines' movements, before clapping them and securing Erza in his trap.

"It's over." he announced, about to detonate the bomb. To his shock, Erza cut her way out of the trap, clad in her Purgatory Armor, and swung at Azuma, cutting the branch he's been standing on in half. Horrified by the armor's power, Azuma tried to stop her and make some more distance, only to see his roots and branches being cut down like twigs.

"So this is the Purgatory Armor? The one that continues to boost its user's magic, and make them more aggressive as a result?" he questioned. "How unexpected, to see someone like you dose such a savage attire."

His only reply was a growl, as she slashed horizontally at him, cutting the tree behind him in half. Seeing that he had no means of regrouping, Azuma braced himself and borrowed magic from the island, growing out an incredibly thick branch. Erza's club slashed through it, but got stuck two-thirds of the way in, not budging an inch.

"I can't cut through even with the power of Purgatory Armor?!" she wondered out loud. In the meantime, Azuma traveled through the branch they were fighting on and secured Erza's legs from beneath. "You're wide open!" he told her.

 _ **TOWER BURST!**_

Erza was taken in by a pillar of heat and flames, as she cried out in agony. An enormous explosion shook the entire forest, obliterating everything above and below Erza and Azuma.

After couple more moments, the magic dispelled, with Erza falling down. Her immobile figure crashed into the wood, pieces of her armor scattering over the area. Azuma remained on the high ground and stared her down, curious of her next move.

Erza threw the remains of her club aside and dosed her **Black Wing Armor** once again, her arsenal slowly becoming drained. She clutched her blade and charged, much to Azuma's disappointment.

"This again?" he frowned and sharpened another set of leaves, sending her in her way. Much to his surprise, the leaves were burned, with Erza switching to her **Lightning Empress Armor** mid-flight. She spun her spear above her head and created a ball of lightning, which she threw at the Kin. He jumped out of its way and then felt itching pain in his side, courtesy of Erza, who dashed right through him with her **Flight Armor**. She once again started to bounce off the trees, only this time in a less repetitive fashion.

The knight slashed Azuma across his right shoulder blade, throwing him off balance. Catching her movements with the corner of his eye, he commanded his vines to strike her down, which they did. Erza got knocked down and later on smashed by a giant wooden fist, only for said fist to break into pieces, as she emerged unharmed in her **Giant Armor**.

Erza threw her lance at Azuma, which he caught with his magic. Erza used this opportunity to literally run through them and grab him by the leg, before smashing him through the branch he was standing on, causing him to cough up blood. He landed on a branch underneath and quickly grew out wooden spears, which connected into a giant one. He launched it at Erza, who Requipped into **Adamantine Armor** and blocked it with her shields, but was still pushed back. Her back planted itself against a tree, but she managed to withstand being impaled. To her horror, however, she heard a familiar hissing, with the tree she was pressed against blowing up, breaking her armor in the process.

Erza cried out in pain and started to fall, her armor being de-Requipped against her will, leaving her in her Heart Kreuz one. Before she had a chance to recollect herself, she was struck by a massive wooden fist that followed her from above, and pushed her down, before crashing her into the very ground at the feet of the forest.

The redhead coughed up blood, her eyes becoming misty. Consciousness was slowly leaving her. Way up above, Azuma retracted his magic and left Erza's battered figure in her crater, alone to herself. Silence fell in the forest, the only sounds she could pick up being the thunder in the sky, and rain gently hitting her breastplate. She stared into the dark sky, slowly falling asleep against her will.

 _He's...too strong. Despite all the odds, I am unable to push through to that one solution that could grant me victory...I can't do it…_ she thought to herself, before her eyes closed on her on her own.

" _What's wrong, had enough?"_

* * *

Erza fell down on her back from a punch, her blade falling out of her grip. She panted heavily, the scorching sun above her head not pitying her in the slightest, the light breeze coming from the nearby forest being too weak to fight it.

She was currently in her **Flame Empress Armor,** which was quite seriously cracked and dented all of her body, along with minor burns and her cut lower lip. She stared at the sky with squinted eyes, her breathing hard.

"As much as I don't want to admit it...yes, I do have enough." she smirked and Requipped out of her armor, now dosing a red t-shirt and white shorts.

Natsu smirked and wiped the sweat off his forehead, also a little banged up, though not as much as Erza. The pair was in the middle of their usual sparring sessions they've started 2 weeks ago. Natsu wanted to learn how to restrain his magic and go easy on his torn up magic container, and Erza to grow stronger, and thus the partnership came to be.

"You know, you're slowly starting to get close." praised her Natsu and sat down on the grass next to her. "Your moves are more compact and unpredictable. It almost looks like you're picking up my habits. My habit of hitting people with my head, at least." he added, massaging his sore forehead. "Also, that trick you did with your armor and weapon was well thought, too. Caught me completely off guard."

She pouted in response.

"No, I'm not getting close." she shot him down shortly, dismissing his later praise. "I've never been this outmatched in terms of hand-to-hand combat. Without my sword, I wouldn't last a minute. I've never felt so inexperienced in my life." said Erza. She then turned her head to look at him and raised her eyebrows curiously. "Where did you learn all that anyway? It's hard to believe you are self-taught."

Natsu blinked in surprise and scratched his chin. "I picked up a lot from people fighting in pubs and taverns. I've always been a creative kid, so I gave it all a twist or two, and...that's it, I guess. I also bring out the best of my magic and I use my senses a lot. That's the last lesson Igneel taught me before bailing out." he explained. "Also, don't forget you kicked my ass without your weapon." he said and kicked her in the thigh playfully.

Erza's expression grew slightly grim. "I...wouldn't say that was me." she said quietly.

Picking up the change in her tone, Natsu decided to mention a topic he'd meant to talk about for weeks now.

"Say...do you remember the speech you gave me when you talked me out of killing Silva?" he asked her. "Back in the Tower?"

Erza blinked and looked at him, surprised. She then looked back to her memory, finding it a while later. "Yes, I do. Why?"

"You've compared us to two sides of the same coin. You know about me and my past but...I know nothing about yours. Only about the Tower." he said, careful with his words.

The redhead stared at him for a bit, before sighing tiredly. It was not something she liked to talk about, but Makarov made her realise, that opening up to others was a way to fight it on its own. Besides, after everything she'd learned about him, it felt only natural to fill him in.

"I...would like to avoid giving too many details, if that's okay." she said, receiving an understanding nod from Natsu. She then took a deep breath and continued. "After I escaped from the tower and found myself in Fairy Tail, I could pick myself up for a very long time. At first I thought it would pass, so I focused on polishing my magic and trying to open up to other people. But I couldn't. I was scared of everyone and refused to be close to anyone other than myself. I even attacked Master once, when he shook me because I was not responding to him." she chuckled lightly, now considering this memory a fun one.

Natsu listened silently, paying back the favor she did to him in the past. Erza got up to a sitting position and brought her knees up, hugging them.

"As I got older, I started to realise I'd never be able to go back to my normal life. Life without fear, nightmares. I pushed away everyone who tried to get close to me and threw myself into work. For 2 years I continued to overload myself with work, no matter how dirty or dangerous. The longer and more dangerous, the better. In result, I grew cold. Too cold, to the point where I would drop all of my past rules and violated them on daily basis." continued Erza, and dug her nails into her skin.

"I started to take illegal jobs, ones that could throw the entire guild into jail if someone found out about them. So, to avoid that happening, I took my exam for S-Class. I passed, and got myself some sort of immunity from the Council, in case I was caught. I went back to work, and started causing trouble for the guild. I started to take lives of those I deemed unworthy of living. I did have some common sense to confirm my suspicions first, but still...those people did not deserve it. It took me months to realise that."

Erza dug her nails so deep she almost drew blood, which caused her to relax her body and take a deep breath to calm down.

"I refused to sleep and stay in one place for too long. This routine was starting to make me mad. I would show up in the guild once a month to let them know I was alive, and then I'd vanish again. People started to turn away from me, seeing me as a nuisance. But, one day I stayed in the guild for too long. I was called in by Master and had him open my eyes." she smiled at the memory. "That was the moment I had decided to give life a chance and...it paid off. I managed to bounce back, scarred, but not broken."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Truth to be told, that was how it went down for him, too. Both Makarov and Erza dragged him away from going too far.

"Now that I think about it..." added Erza with squinted eyes. "All of those things, all of those years, they felt like-"

"They were lived by someone else, and not me." he finished for her, earning himself a surprised look from the redhead. "I feel the same. And I think I've figured out why."

Erza blinked in confusion, while Natsu pulled out couple of blades of grass. "The way I see it, we both have our demons." he said and showed her a single blade of grass. "They're hidden inside of us, and come out only when we are in danger, or when we find ourselves in a tough spot." he continued and moved his thumb, revealing a second, hidden blade of grass. He held them together, side by side, trying to get his point across with their help.

"That...does make sense." said Erza after a long thought.

"I think they are both connected to our past...or are them, personally." continued Natsu. "Whenever I'd snap, it'd always be caused by something that was imprinted on my memory, like being restrained, or overpowered. I got my other name for those rampages, truth to be told."

Once again, he hit the mark. Erza would always snap whenever her past was brought up in one way or another. Her entire battle with Jellal felt like standing up to years of torture she'd suffered.

"When people refer to us by our nicknames, they don't mean us. They mean the deeds we did that had earned us those names. And I think those names themselves are our demons." deduced Natsu and released the grass from his hand, letting it fly with the wind. "They represent who we were in the past, and what we'd done."

Natsu looked at Erza and smiled gently, a sight she'd come to see only twice by now. "We're both scared of them. Of Salamander and Titania – our inner demons. And for a good reason."

"Master told me to put up a wall from my past and start anew." muttered Erza.

"He told me that as well." nodded Natsu. "But I think he's wrong."

Erza looked at him, surprised. "Why?"

Natsu looked into the sky and reached out to his memories. "There have been countless of incidents in which I would have died if it wasn't for my more aggressive nature. True, life would definitely be easier without him, but I've come to realise that parting our ways is just not possible. I think instead of trying to kill, or subdue them, we should learn to live with them. Live with our past. I know it's easier said than done, but I think they could come in handy in certain situation. Situations in which us, Natsu and Erza, are powerless. That's when we would reach out to them, to give us that one final push. The world is not kind, and there's always someone trying to get to us. We need them for those very people. Consequences can come later."

Erza's eyes narrowed. She couldn't find it in herself to agree with this point. She tried doing it, and she managed to pull it off only once, and even then she almost went too far.

"As I said, easier said than done..." said Natsu and stood up with a groan "...but I think if given a special situation, we could pull it off one day." he finished and reached out to Erza. The girl blinked and took his hand, letting him pull her back to her feet.

"I...I can't wrap my head around this." she admitted with a sad smile. Natsu merely snorted.

"Trust me, I don't really understand what I just said either. But I think it's better than running away from it for the rest of our lives." he said, before yawning. "Let's get back to the guild, I'm starving."

As he walked towards the town, she couldn't get rid of this weird feeling in her chest.

"Make sure not to overpay this time!" she called to him playfully, earning herself a middle finger in response.

* * *

Erza's eyes snapped open. She slowly looked around, taking in the surrounding trees and roots, realising that she must have lost consciousness for a moment. She was dreaming, or rather reliving a memory.

Her eyes slowly shifted at Azuma, who stood high above her, staring her down in anticipation, his arms crossed on his chest. Slowly, but surely, the gravity of the situation has started to fall onto her, making her remember all important details. Her friends were in grave danger and she was their only hope. Why was she down?

 _Is this one of those situations you spoke of, Natsu?_ She asked him in her thoughts and stared at Azuma, her gaze slowly turning into a glare. Feelings she's been trying to keep shut and under lock started to resurface, but unlike in the past, she was willing to let them out.

Erza imagined herself standing before transparent door, through which she could see a rougher looking version of herself, who was staring at her in anticipation. Erza's heart was pounding from fear and anxiety, but she had it under control. She took a deep breath and raised her arm, putting her shaking hand on the door handle. After one final breath she opened the door, letting her other self to immediately pounce her. However, before she let herself be devoured, Erza grabbed Titania by the throat and stared into her eyes, almost matching her piercing glare.

Erza stood up from the ground and Requipped out of her armor, much to Azuma's relief. The man got back into his fighting position, waiting for Erza's next move. He was tired of waiting.

Erza was now wearing her red pants, with bandages wrapped around her torso. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her magic in her right hand, summoning Benizakura.

 _That's right...This is not just my life being on the line here. If I am to save them all and make sure we all see tomorrow…_

Benizakura appeared in Erza's hands, making her ready to begin her counter attack.

 _...Then I must be prepared to kill this man. Honor and rules no longer apply here._ She snapped her eyes open and glared at Azuma, piercing him with the same fear he felt when they met.

The Kin realised that the woman standing before him was someone completely else, and sharpened his senses to eleven. The true battle was just about to begin.

Erza dashed upwards and ran along the nearest tree trunk, before jumping off of it to another one. She made sure to stay on the move and not be on one tree for too long. Seeing that he had no way to catch her legs, Azuma abandoned this idea and attacked her by sending his sharpened wooden spear her way. The knight simply sidestepped out of their way and cut them all in half, before jumping on top of the highest placed one and running on top of it, straight at Azuma. She kicked the spear as hard as she could and slashed at Azuma, who had to drop onto his rear to avoid losing his head.

Erza shifted on her feet and readied her blade by her right hip, before slashing horizontally, cutting through Azuma's wooden fist he created to punch her. The man was forced to jump backwards, but to his horror, Erza was right by his face, closing the distance faster than he could anticipate. Although too close to use her blade, the knight smashed the holt of Benizakura into his left temple, rocking him hard. She then kicked him in the ribs with her right leg and threw him off, jumping down after him immediately.

Azuma recovered and used the trees surrounding them to his advantage, creating a net of branches that were meant to act as a shield. Erza merely scowled and cut her way right through it. In the meantime, Azuma was back on his feet, with Erza flying towards him like a bullet. He jumped to the side, but not without setting up a trap for the knight, who'd seen right through it.

The redhead Requipped one of her old, battered shields and used it as a footing, jumping over the spears that grew out of the branch, meaning to impale her. She flipped in the air and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she dashed forward, giving Azuma barely any time to respond. He summoned a thick branch that stopped Benizakura, with the blade stopping just mere centimeters away from his throat.

This sight made one thing certain in the Kin's mind – Erza's attacks were now meant to kill, and when compared to her previous ones, the difference was like between the earth and the sky. _Her moves...They no longer hold any hesitation, or doubt. It's almost as if she'd become a different_ person.

Erza pulled her blade out of the wood and spun around, before kicking Azuma, who guarded it with his arms. The knight regained her footing and charged forward, stabbing at Azuma. The man was forced to use his arms and stop the blade, which pierced right through both of his forearms and stopped just before his hart.

Erza quickly pulled the blade out and threw a compact left uppercut to the man's liver under his put up guard, before kicking him away with a right high kick.

"That's right...that's how it should have been from the beginning!" smirked Azuma through the pain. "How scary, how utterly terrifying...You're beautiful, Titania!" he called out to her and started to raise his magic.

Erza stopped in her tracks and anticipated the man's next move, her eyes still glaring at him dangerously. However, nothing came. Azuma started to absorb even more of the island's magic for himself, making his already possessed power increase.

Not willing to let him powerup further, Erza charged forward and jumped over the giant spear he sent her way. She flipped in the air and swung her blade vertically from above, which he caught to a wooden hand that grew out from behind him. Erza put her feet on the wood and jumped over it, flipping again. Mid-flip she cut off the spears be sent her way and landed behind him, before turning on her heels and dashing once more.

Erza tried to stab Azuma in the lower back, which almost came to reality. The Kin grabbed her blade with a vine and slowly started to wrap Erza's body with his magic.

The knight struggled to get free but was powerless against their strength. The magic of Tenrou Island made them even more powerful than they were.

"Let's see how you handle this!" proclaimed Azuma. The area started to shake, with light-green aura slowly emitting from beneath Erza. "This is the combined magic of the Tenrou Island, aimed directly at you! Try to survive and save your friends, Titania!" roared Azuma and clapped his hands.

 _ **TERRA CLAMARE!**_

Erza yelled out in agony, as the light started to slowly swallow her in, a giant explosion spreading throughout the forest, obliterating everything on its path. The trees have started to split from the impact, some of them falling to the ground. Azuma continued to pump the magic into the spell as hard as he could, before his vision became a blur. Despite the island's aid, the spell was heavily draining, the strain almost impossible to withstand without support.

Azuma canceled the spell, a giant cloud of dust spreading where Erza used to be. Azuma panted heavily and after couple seconds of silence, smirked in triumph, proud of defeating such a strong foe.

Suddenly, much to his shock, something moved within the cloud. Erza jumped out of the dust, battered, broken shields of her **Adamantine Armor** held before her body. They broke off into pieces and revealed her figure, clad in the remains of her **Flame Empress Armor,** that was now destroyed beyond repair, as it exposed her naked skin for Azuma to see. She was heavily injured, however the combined power of her armor's attributes managed to cancel out enough damage to let her stay in the fight.

Azuma didn't get to look for too long, however, as the knight quickly summoned her red pants and Benizakura, and landed on the biggest piece of wood on her path, which she used as a launchpad.

Azuma quickly created two thick branches in fear, willing to protect himself. But it wasn't enough.

Like a bullet, Erza cut through both the wood and Azuma, slashing him across his torso from waist up to the left shoulder. The man stared ahead blindly, before coughing up a vast amount of blood.

Erza flipped in the air and landed on her feet, before slowly turning back to Azuma, her eyes still burning fiercely.

"Admirable..." whispered the impressed and satisfied Kin, before slowly falling backwards, as he made his way towards the ground. Erza followed his flight with her eyes, witnessing his crash. She stared at his immobile figure for couple seconds longer, before blinking and releasing a deep breath, letting the fatigue finally take over her body. She lost balance and was forced to plunge her sword into her footing to avoid falling herself. Taking deep breaths one after another, Erza slowly calmed down, her sensation of dread and anxiety slowly giving in to pride and happiness. She did it, she managed to control her past. But most importantly…

She had won.

 **End of Chapter 28. To be continued in Chapter 29: Hades.**

* * *

 **Changes made from canon:**

 **\- Laxus defeats Zancrow, instead of Zeref killing him. I wanted Laxus to have someone to abuse before his turn against Hades, and he was available. Btw, in case you haven't realised, this is what would have happened if Natsu's element was something else than fire. Zancrow's magic literally saved him from an asswhooping, which he got anyway. Twice.**

 **\- Gildarts was slightly less forgiving for Bluenote, who had been weakened due to the damage sustained from Cana and Natsu**

 **\- Erza did not pull a victory out of her ass and used her own skills and wits to pull through(with the power of flashbacks)**

 **Speaking of flashbacks, the sequence was meant to show you just how strong Natsu and Erza's bond is, as well as to directly reference the title of the story. "Of Inner Demons" reaches out to personas Natsu and Erza had to develop to survive their hardships - Salamander and Titania. They themselves are "Inner Demons".**

 **I hope you liked this chapter. Personally, I am dranied. Nearly 30,000 words in a week...I need to rest :D Review, ask me in pm's - I read them all!**

 **Cya!**


	30. Hades

**IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN ME AND MY WRITING, PLEASE READ BEFORE GETTING DOWN TO THE CHAPTER**

 **So...hello. There's something I'd like to talk with you guys about. I'm actually quite nervous about this, so do forgive me if I'm rambling.  
**

 **Basically, I am struggling. A lot. Financially, that is. And before you pull out your pitchforks and torches at me, please, let me explain.**

 **As of today, I live in the poorest region of Poland, where unemployment is as high as 27%. The official numbers are much lower, but trust me, if you live here for longer than a month, you will know that's just horseshit. Finding a job here is difficult, let alone keeping it, which is something I've been struggling with, too. As of today, I do not have a future in this country. But I might have it somewhere else.**

 **Basically, I have set up a ko-fi page for myself. To those who are unfamiliar with it: it's a site, where for a small tip (3$, or more if you're feeling generous) you can receive something from me in return, and support me in the long run. The way currencies work, to me, 3$ is a lot, but trust me, if I could have, I would have set the tips lower.**

 **This is the way it'd look like:**

 **\- you decide to support me**

 **\- I write something for you in return, with a series/theme/character/pairings of your choosing and leave it in your care to do whatever you so desire with. The bigger the tip, the longer the story. I think 1$ for 200-300 words sounds fine.  
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 **Please note that I am NOT begging for free money. You will all get something in return.  
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 **NONE OF THIS will affect the story in the slightest. I will still write it, even if none of you decide to help me out.**

 **Thank you for reading this note and I hope you will not decide to leave me and the story because of it. I hope you did not pin me with a "money whore" pin.**

 **To those interested in supporting me, I have left the link to my ko-fi page on my fanfiction profile. The link is ready to be copied and pasted, so it will take you 5 seconds. Also, if you wish to remain anonymous, ko-fi does grant you this option. Only I will know who pledged me, and what their message/request was.  
**

 **Thank you and please enjoy this chapter. Tenrou Island Arc is ending in 3 chapters and this is chapter number 1. Chapter 30 will be out in 7-10 days from now.**

* * *

Erza closed her eyes and took a deep breath in order to calm down. Her body was still twitchy and restless, but she had perfect control over it. Something that pleased her greatly. She brought up her sword and looked down at it, clenching the hilt harder while releasing one final breath through her nose. Unable to stop the small smile of pride, she smirked gently to herself, before quickly diverting her eyes at downed Azuma, who was now lying on the ground at the very feet of the tree she was standing on.

The knight jumped down and gracefully landed by the Kin, who was still conscious, though unable to move. His breathing was raspy, blood flowing down the side of his face from his mouth. He slowly shifted his eyes at Erza, a small smirk forming on his face despite the pain.

"That was...a magnificent battle." he whispered weakly.

Although hesitant, Erza nodded gently. "Now, as promised. Please return the magic of my comrades back to normal." she ordered him, the grip on her sword strong.

"I have done it few seconds before you struck me down." admitted the Kin, much to the redhead's surprise. Seeing this, he chuckled. "You appear to be shocked someone like me stayed true to a promise. I cannot say I blame you."

Slightly ashamed of her reaction, Erza relaxed her grip. "Is fighting really that important to you?" she asked him, curious. "Even more than loyalty? You were given specific orders and abandoned them for selfish reasons."

"To me, fighting is loyalty." explained Azuma. "That is who Master Hades accepted me as, and that is whom I will stay until my death. Which will claim me very soon."

Erza sighed through her nose and sat down on the ground, exhausted. "What is your guild's goal? Why are you doing this? Why Zeref?"

Azuma blinked slowly replied. "He's required to allow us to reach the very first magic of this world. The source of the magic as we know it today."

"And what exactly is going to happen when you do in fact reach it?" she asked him, slight sensation of anger building inside her. If what that girl has told her was true…

"Everyone without magic in their bodies will perish." the Kin confirmed Erza's fears.

"Is this truly what you desire?"

"When it comes to matters such as this one, my selfish wishes or opinions have no place to be."

Erza's eyes narrowed. They remained silent for a bit, Azuma's rasping breathing becoming louder and louder, as his life was slowly slipping away, his eyes closed. "Do you know a man named Jellal?" asked Erza.

Azuma opened his eyes and looked at the redhead. "I do. Is he someone close to you?"

Erza hesitated. "He was my friend."

Azuma scoffed. "I see. Unfortunately, I have not known him before his change, but I do know who was behind it."

Erza's eyes widened. "What?"

"Jellal was being manipulated. By none other than Ultear, the leader of Seven Kins of Purgatory. Her job was to use him and create a key necessary to wake Zeref up. When he stumbled upon Seven Commandments, Master Hades ordered her to use him to obtain both the key and destroy the guild. He trusts her more than everyone else combined. Personally, I find her more frightening than Master himself." explained Azuma.

Erza was lost. Did this mean, that everything he'd done to her, to their friends...it wasn't really him?

She shook her head weakly, knocking these thoughts aside. Now was not the time to be sentimental.

"I wish we could have met under different circumstances." she told the Kin. "We may have become rivals, and maybe even comrades in battle."

Azuma's eyes widened for a bit, before a laugh escaped his mouth, best to his ability. "Unfortunately...I have never been a man of such nobility and high status." he told her, his voice becoming more quiet with each word, his eyes slowly closing on their own. "I will, however...take it as a compliment. I am glad...I have met you...and fell from your blade...Erza."

Small sprouts started to come out of his chest and face, much to Erza's shock. He, unphased by it in the slightest, continued to talk. "There's...one more thing I would like to tell you."

Sensing that his life was about to end, Erza kneeled by his figure and leaned down to hear him better. "What is it?"

"Salamander…he might be alive." he said, shocking the redhead. His body was being taken by roots and leaves more and more with each second."Before he was thrown off the cliff by my comrade...he used his own flames to cancel out the attack...best to his ability. If he survived the fall...you may see him again..."

Erza felt like someone took an enormous weight off her chest. "If that's true, then why have you told me he died? Why keep it to yourself?"

"I was hoping of facing him myself later on. Now, the chances for that no longer exist. Do not celebrate just yet, Titania." said Azuma, his eyes now closed. "The worst is...just...before you..." he warned her, the last word being said along with his last, final breath. His head had slowly tilted to the left, his mouth gently agape, his body continuing to turn into a tree.

Realising he was dead, Erza exhaled through her nose and stood up. She picked up her blade from the ground and gently bowed to Azuma. "Thank you." she muttered sincerely to her bested opponent and gently turned on the balls of her feet, before running off into the wilds.

She still had a job to do.

* * *

Bluenote has once again stomped Gildarts' abdomen, having realised a long time ago just what sort of a weak spot it was. The Crush mage was squirming in agony, his still injured and tarnished internal organs crying out in pain.

Bluenote took his foot off his stomach and kicked him in the jaw once again, bored. "So, without magic even the great Gildarts is nothing more than a fly, eh?" he questioned. "Well, I had my fun. Time to get my spell back."

Bluenote raised his leg once again and attempted to crush Gildarts' head with it, only to be caught with one hand. The merc's eyes widened in surprise, as Gildarts started to slowly but surely stand up to his feet. "Oh? You can move?"

A squeeze of his foot was his answer, one strong enough to make him grimace in pain. "You sure had a lot of fun kicking me around, punk." growled Gildarts and knocked Bluenote's leg aside, causing him to lose balance. He then delivered a powerful uppercut to the cut that made the merc cough up blood, which was then followed by an elbow to the top of the head. Bluenote crashed to the ground, only to be kicked away and land in nearby rocks, shattering them in the process.

Gildarts grimaced and fell to his knee, his injuries more serious than he had suspected. However, now that his magic was back, this fight was as good as over, despite the state he was in.

Bluenote grunted and walked out of the rocks, his body slowly reaching its limit. However, that did not stop his sensation of excitement at the continuation of his battle. "Yes, that's how it should have been! The true fight starts now, Gildarts!" he roared and lifted the surrounding rocks in the air, before throwing them all at Gildarts.

The man merely scowled and used his magic around his body, shattering the rocks before they could even touch him. This turned out to be merely a diversion, as Bluenote ripped the piece of the ground Gildarts was on and lifted it in the air, before flipping it and smashing it into the ground.

Gildarts punched his way out of the debris and jumped back, only to realise he was surrounded by multiple rocks floating in the air. He destroyed them once again but failed to notice Bluenote flying in his direction, who nailed him in the chin with a nasty right hand.

Gildarts crashed into the ground, with his opponent following him. Fed up, Gildarts grit his teeth and dodged an incoming punch, before retaliating with one of his own, that caught Bluenote right on his solar plexus. The man gasped in agony, his ability to breathe stolen from him. Gildarts grabbed the sides of his head and headbutted him, rocking him hard, before starting to blindly punch all over his body.

Bluenote was blown away by a kick to the chest, but did not fall. With both men injured and seemingly exhausted, their moves were sloppy and lacked their previous technique.

"After punching you so much, I'm still nowhere near being calm." said Gildarts. "I don't think I've ever been this pissed in my life. To come here and ruin the exam, to ruin this island, to trample all over me. You deserve everything you've got coming to you."

Bluenote wiped his lips off and smirked. "Have you finally decided to stop holding back and actually use your magic on something that is not inanimate?"

"I'm considering it." replied the Fairy Tail mage.

The merc merely smirked and joined his hands before his torso. "Good. Let's see you break through this first, though."

Gravity around them increased again, with a purple aura starting to surround Bluenote. It then crawled in-between his hands and began to form into a ball, the energy darkening with each second. After couple more seconds, Bluenote clapped his hands and rapidly spread them to the side, a giant black ball being held before him.

 _ **BLACK HOLE!**_

Gildarts started to be pulled towards it, with everything in the area doing the same. Pieces of ground started to be ripped out of their footing, fallen trees started to fly through the air, and all of them were vaporized upon contact, sucked in in a matter of seconds.

"What the hell is this?!" asked Gildarts and dug his feet deep into the ground in order to not fly away.

"A point of infinite gravity. Something so heavy that if I were to drop it from above, it would split this island in two." explained Bluenote. "Everything will be sucked in and turned into nothing, including you, Gildarts!" he roared while laughing. "This is the end! Now fly! Fly!"

Unable to sustain himself for longer, Gildarts was ripped out of the ground and flew towards the black ball of death. Panic grasping his heart, he focused his magic into his right fist and smashed it into the creation, avoiding being absorbed in an instant. This, however, turned out to be momentary, as soon he began to feel agonizing pain in his fist that was being slowly sucked in. In the meantime, his magic was doing its work, the hole slowly, but surely gaining more and more cracks.

"You're still resisting! You really are a beast, Gildarts!" laughed Bluenote. "Let's see who is stronger! The unstoppable force of nature, or your magic!"

Glidarts' hand was starting to become deformed, but he still refused to give up. He clenched his teeth so hard one of them gained a small crack and fought through the pain, pumping his magic into his fist.

After few more seconds of struggle, Bluenote felt his blood freeze in its veins. He realised that he was being pushed back and his black hole was about to be destroyed. Unable to grasp this situation, he focused more of his magic into the attack but was too late. With a determined roar, Gildarts gave it one final push and destroyed the hole, piercing his fist through and smashing it right into Bluenote's stomach. The man coughed up a lot of blood and got blown away, landing on his back several meters back. Gildarts, on the other hand, panted heavily and barely managed to stay on his feet. He relaxed his fist, his right hand dark purple in color, his fingers broken and bent in every possible angle, some of them missing skin that was sucked into the hole.

Bluenote slowly stood up to his feet, shocked beyond words. "How...that's impossible..."

The Crush mage grit his teeth to endure pain and started to walk towards the merc, who had already began to create another black hole. "It's your loss, Gildarts! Unfortunately for you, I can still throw one or two more of those! Size will be different, but they will be just as lethal!"

"If you manage to form them, that is." growled the man and bent his knees, before dashing and retracting his left arm. "I still have one arm left!"

Bluenote had no time to react. He could simply watch as Gildarts closed the distance between them and smashed his prosthetic arm right underneath his chin, rendering him unconscious at the very moment of impact. Letting all of his pent up anger go, Gildarts gave it one final push and launched Bluenote high in the air, granting the man's wish and making him fly. He watched him travel through the air, before slowly starting to fall, his figure vanishing behind the trees several dozen meters away.

With his battle finally over, Gildarts finally let the pain and fatigue get to him, as he fell to the ground like a log. He used his remaining bit of strength to turn over to his back and took a deep breath, his half open eyes staring at the already dark sky.

"I really am getting old..."

* * *

Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Cana, Makarov and the Exceeds continued on their way to the camp, having picked themselves up from their sudden drop of magic power, which was now the main topic of discussion. The group fell to the ground just few minutes away from the camp, unsure of what was going on. Makarov, who barely survived this abnormality, was now sleeping peacefully on Natsu's back.

"Just what the hell was that?" asked annoyed Cana and clutched her aching head. Unfortunately for her, upon having her magic stolen, she fell onto a rocky terrain, her head hitting one of them.

"I don't know. I've never felt this weak." Lucy shook her head. "My guild mark was burning, too. This has never happened to me before."

"Mine too. I didn't even know that could happen." threw in Wendy while gently caressing her mark.

Natsu adjusted Makarov on his back and took a look at his own mark that was located on his right shoulder. True, it was weird for paint to cause aching or burning. "Whatever that was, it's over now. We're very close, I can smell the others." he said and picked up the pace. Although what he said was true, he also smelled something else – iron. Lots of it.

The group followed him suit and crossed through the thick bushes, before walking out in the open. They were met with a giant crater with the remains of the tent and furniture inside of it. Right beside it was a brand new tent, with several people lying on spare beds. However, the biggest surprise that greeted them was the sight of an injured man with silver hair tied to a tree just outside of the camp. He was unconscious, the remains of his glasses still hanging on his nose, his eyes slightly open and rid of pupils.

The group passed him carefully and entered the camp, all of them feeling a weird sensation while doing so, as if they went through a waterfall. They were greeted by Freed, Bickslow and Gajeel, who ran up to them, ready to fight. All three of them were moderately injured and out of breath, which Natsu connected to the man they passed by just now.

"Oh. It's you." said Gajeel at the sight of them and relaxed, with the other two doing the same.

"I'm glad you're all okay." smiled Fried. "I sensed someone pass through my runes, hence the reaction. Please, forgive us."

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's okay."

"Huh? Who are you talking to?" asked a female voice, with Levy peeking out from behind the men. At the sight of the freshly arrived group, she smiled widely, her eyes becoming teary. "Lu!" she cried out and ran up to Lucy, almost knocking her over with a hug.

"Hey, Levy." smiled the blonde and hugged her back. "I'm glad you're safe."

Lisanna, who peeked out as well spotted the group and had a reaction similar to Levy's, except she threw herself at Wendy and Cana. The younger girl hugged her back, but soon freed herself and ran towards the wounded in order to heal them.

Natsu watched the women for a bit, before adjusting Makarov once again and passing by Fried and the others, willing to put the elder down.

At the sight of the state they were both in, Fried frowned. "So even Master has been defeated… And what happened to you?"

Natsu, who was finished putting Makarov down looked at the man in confusion, before giving himself a better look. Putting aside his severely torn and ruined clothes, his body was a mess, littered with cuts and bruises all over, along with burns that have yet to still be healed. In his defense, all of those injuries had merged into one, stable dull pain that accompanied him for couple hours now. A feat not so weird, considering the amount of battle he's been in during the past 12 hours.

"I fought two of those Kin guys, as well as some guy who could create meteors at will." explained casually the Dragon Slayer and sat down for a moment. "You?" he asked them, examining their injuries. "Are those from that guy outside of the camp?"

Gajeel scoffed and walked into the tent, before sitting down next to Natsu. "Yeah. We would have beaten his ass sooner, but all of a sudden we lost our magic. That's when the prick started to kick us around. Didn't last long, though."

Natsu frowned. "Did your marks burn?"

Freed nodded. "Yes, they have. Why?"

"Ours did, too. I guess whatever it was, it had something to do with the guild." shrugged Natsu.

"It's kinda weird that it stopped." pointed out Bickslow while clutching his chin. "If it was the work of an enemy, you'd think they used it to kill all of us."

"No use in dwelling in the past." declared Freed and stretched his back. "We should think of our next move. Do you know the situation of what was going on outside of this island?" he directed the question to Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer frowned, trying to recall everything he knew of. "I fought one guy, but we didn't finish the fight. Then I found Lucy and took out one of those Kin people. Then Lucy told me..." he stopped for a second, his frown deepening. "Lo...Loke, yeah...he beat another one, then we met with that gravity guy but Gildarts took over for me, and then that guy by the entrance." finished Natsu and pointed at defeated Rustyrose with his thumb. "That's three Kin down, plus that other guy."

"I see." nodded Freed. "What about Master?"

"Don't know, we found him like this in the middle of the forest. I think he was done in by their leader." said Natsu. His expression relaxed, as he recalled something. "Oh, and we met Zeref."

Freed, Bickslow and Gajeel looked at him in shock. "What?!"

"What do you mean? Explain." demanded to know Freed.

"Elfman and Evergreen found him during the exam. We met up with them and encountered him, too. He escaped from us, though." explained Wendy while healing Mirajane.

"Plus..." added Natsu. "the Council wants to nuke us. I talked to one of them, he said he'd stand up for us, but I don't know how much time we have left. It's been a while since he left us."

Freed sighed and clutched the bridge of his nose. This was too much information to be taken in at once. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.

Gajeel looked at everyone present in the camp. "Stripper and Titania ain't here, same for Laxus. I say we wait for them, and then decide what to do."

"Man's right." said Bickslow and leaned against the support pillar of the tent. "We're still scattered. We have to wait for the others. Not like we have a choice anyway." he added while looking at all of the injured sleeping in front of him "Can't wait for too long, though. We might be fried alive if we do."

"My runes surround the camp. I have written them so that anyone with the guild's mark can freely pass through, but they could be overwritten by someone skilled enough. We should stay on guard, but use this chance to regain our strength." said Fried.

All men nodded and decided to use the opportunity to rest up for a moment. They still had a long way ahead of them.

* * *

Gray tried to keep his breathing as quiet as possible and clutched his injured right side. Mid-way through his battle he had lost all of his magic, which was used by Ultear who cut him with her sword. It was a miracle he managed to escape her and hide to wait out the bizarre thing that happened to him.

Now that his strength was back to what it was, he'd decided to use this chance and sneak attack Ultear, who was now carefully scouting the area in search of him. Although she was simply strolling through the forest, Gray knew that her lowered arms were in fact a trap set up just for him. His trip of freezing the rain was being exploited, his options against her once again dropping to minimum.

"Hiding like a dog? How unlike you, Gray." taunted him the woman.

Gray grit his teeth – he refused to let her provoke him.

"I guess she was as bad of a teacher as she was of a mother. A failure through and through. To raise a coward as her own son...truly unsightly."

Gray's fists clenched so hard his knuckles have become white, but despite that he refused to run out like that. Not without a plan.

"That reminds me – I had a proposition for you." said Ultear. "A way to defeat Master Hades. It's quite simple, really. All you'd need to do is use Iced Shell. So that you could shatter into nothingness and join my great mother. Your death will make a clear path to my plans, for you will take Hades with you. Not a bad idea, don't you think?"

Gray shifted in his spot and hissed from pain. His hand immediately went to his wound, blood covering his palm. He looked at it and clicked his tongue in annoyance – it was definitely bringing him down. Suddenly, as if someone hit his head with a hammer, it clicked. An idea was born in mind, something he'd been wondering about for some time now. He clenched his bloodies fist and took a deep breath through his nose, willing to take the bet.

The Maker walked out of his hiding spot, with Ultear standing right in front of him. The woman smirked at the sight of him, convinced she had provoked him to step out. "Interested in my offer?" she asked him.

Gray's expression softened. He looked at her with saddened eyes, which took her by surprise. She was used to a scowl being glued to his face. "No, I am not. Iced Shell is a magic that even Ur herself considered to be frowned upon. She swore to use it only when no other choice was in the view. That's why she sacrificed herself to kill Deliora, a being much more powerful than she was." he explained, with tears forming in his eyes. "I wish she could have passed on things like this onto you by herself."

Ultear smirked. "Yes, it is indeed sad. Sad how she was the one who robbed herself of this pleasure."

Gray closed his eyes and shook his head. "You still don't get it." he said and molded a spike of ice on his right hand.

"Going with ice again?" mocked him the Kin. "I thought we established it – ice does not work on me. I can turn it into water or steam, rendering it useless. There is no way ice will reach me ever again. Molding Magic itself is powerless against me."

"It will." declared Gray. "I shall defeat you with Ur's magic, magic I trust with my life."

"Then it shall be your doom, just like it was hers." said Ultear and summoned a dozen of orbs. "How tragic...and poetic."

Gray took a deep breath and pressed his right arm against his wound, molding a spike in his left hand in the meantime. He hissed from pain, but soon felt relief, as the cold soothed the pain. The ice on his right hand had begun to become red in color, which then transferred onto his left hand.

Ultear frowned at the sight, considering the possibility of him losing his mind.

Gray opened his eyes, the image of Ur's face imprinted on his eyes.

"Your darkness..." the blood has completely stained both of his arms by now, his wound covered by a thin layer of ice meant to stop the bleeding "I will..." he shifted his pivot forward, reading himself to charge. "Seal it!" he declared, repeating the words of his Master.

Gray kicked the ground and rushed at amused Ultear, who simply shook her head and readied her orbs to counter attack. "This thick head of yours will be your downfall. Ice will never defeat me!" she screeched with a grin and swiped her hand to the side. But nothing happened.

"What..." was all she could muster before being nailed across the face by Gray's right weapon, dull pain spreading across her face. "Time won't accelerate...Red ice...you didn't!"

"You cannot use your magic on living things such as humans." proclaimed Gray and struck her again. "If my ice is full of blood, you can't do anything!" he roared and started to beat her with his blades until they shattered.

 _ **ICE BLADE: SEVEN SLICE DANCE!**_

Ultear gasped from pain but quickly regained her stature. Noticing that he had lost his weapons, she regained her senses and watched him follow her with a retracted fist. "You will not beat me without magic!" she declared and was about to block the strike, however to her shock, Gray used the nearby raindrops and turned them into a very unsightly and incomplete gauntlet of ice which he used to punch her with. Knocked to the ground, the woman quickly rolled to the side. _He's using incomplete creations to strike me with, giving me no time to render him useless. How tenacious…_

Gray followed her again, but this time, Ultear was ready. She prepared her spell in advance and awaited Gray's magic to begin its work. Much to her shock, it never came. Gray smashed her with his naked fist and kicked her in the ribs, no magic behind his attacks what so ever.

Shocked and confused, Ultear grit her teeth in pain and slid on her feet, Gray still following her, ready to strike. As he readied a left straight, Ultear raised and crossed her arms in front of her face, only to be struck in the stomach by another gauntlet of ice. _I get it now...he's switching it up between unarmed attacks and attacks coated in magic to confuse me and render me unable to counter him with my magic…_

A right elbow into her left temple rocked her hard and caused her to stagger back. Noticing that her eyes have become blurry, Gray dashed as fast as he could and punched his palm, readying the decisive blow. Ultear's eyes met his.

 _Despite these injuries, he's still moving forward…he's fully prepared to strike me down...however, I cannot lose here…_

With consciousness fully returning to her, Ultear scowled and clenched her fists. She shifted her right leg behind her and punched her left palm, magic building in her hands. _I WILL NOT LOSE!_

 _ **ICE MAKE: ROSEN KRONE!**_

Gray screamed out in pain, as his body was picked up and carried in the air by Ultear's creations. They were shaped into beautiful roses, with thorns dosing their scapes. One of the thorns caught his wound, opening it once again. That, however, was the least of his concern. He was more focused on the fact that Ultear used her mother's magic, the magic she hated with all her heart. And, ironically, it greatly resembled that of Ur's.

Gray grit his teeth and punched the thorn that kept him trapped before dropping to the ground. He clutched his side and jumped back just in time to avoid being cut by the roses.

The roses started to crumble, with wounded Ultear panting heavily. Gray slowly stood up and smiled sadly. "I should have expected this...You do have her blood, after all."

Shut up!" roared the woman and placed her hand on the floor, spikes of ice forming in a chain in his direction. Gray jumped to the side and punched his palm, with Ultear doing the same.

 _ **ICE MAKE: LANCE!**_

 _ **ICE MAKE: LANCE!**_

Both mages unleashed the very same attack, their weapons crashing and canceling one another. Both of them were shocked for a moment, but quickly regained their senses and readied new attacks. Gray attacked with a rain of spears, which was blocked by a wall. Ultear then commanded the wall to slide towards Gray and turned it into giant jaws that almost bit his head off. The man jumped out of their way and punched his palm while in mid-air, before sending a giant saucer at Ultear. Unlike Gray, however, she raised her hand and turned it into steam, which blocked her field of view for a short moment, which was used by Gray. The Maker created a launchpad and kicked it as hard as he could, launching himself at Ultear like a bullet.

He caught her by the shoulders and dragged her with himself, as the pair started to roll on the ground. They soon found themselves rolling down the cliff, with Ultear trying to free herself of Gray's physically superior grip.

"Why have you turned out like this?!" he roared into her face as they rolled. "Why are you doing this?!"

"As if someone like you could understand!" she yelled back. "I have to do it! I have to get to Grand Magic World! Once I do, I can use my magic to the fullest and travel back in time to fix everything! Not just for me, but you, too! I could save your family from Deliora!"

Gray's eyes widened a little, seemingly stung by the last sentence. It didn't take him long to recover, though.

"Do you really believe that?" he asked her just before they met the very edge of the cliff.

Ultear blinked in confusion and stared at his face as they both fell into the ocean, the water quickly swallowing them whole.

Ultear turned in the water and punched her palm, creating a large spear that almost impaled Gray. _Yes, I do believe that, Gray. There is nothing else for me to believe in._

Gray grit his teeth and answered with another rain of lances, that were countered by a giant tail dosed with spikes. Ultear waved if behind her figure and fired the spikes at Gray, who used a shield to defend himself. _All I've ever wanted was to fix this cursed life of mine and finally live like a human being. Right now, there is only one way I can achieve it! I don't care how many people I hurt throughout the way!_

Gray's shield gave in, but he was nowhere to be found. He swam underneath Ultear and struck her with a giant fist of ice, causing her to almost let out all of the air she had in store.

Just when she was about to answer back, her eyes widened in shock, a short scene creeping onto her eyes, scene showed through the eyes of someone else. Someone who begged for help. The woman clutched her head and shook it, confused. She focused on Gray once again, only to have her vision clouded once again.

The images started to become more clear, as well as their sounds, and as they did, Ultear started to recognize the place they were taking place in. _No, that's impossible...are those….my mother's memories? Am I nearby m_ _y_ _mother's remains that had fallen into the ocean?_

The images have now completely covered her eyes, making her feel as if she was watching a movie. She watched her mother beg and cry for help, as she clutched her burning up small body in her arms. She watched as her mother broke down upon learning of her death and being denied of seeing the body. She watched a scene she was told about several minutes ago, as her mother clutched a small dress to her chest and sobbed into it…

 _This...This is not what I had imagined…_ admitted Ultear in her mind. _This is..._

The visions have been broken, as Ultear stared blindly at Gray, who was charging up another attack. Not willing to defend herself, she let him do it and sweep her away with his ice.

 _ **ICE MAKE: GUNGNIR!**_

Ultear's body has been trapped and surrounded in ice, as a giant weapon launched her upwards, her body breaking through the unruly surface of the ocean.

Ultear limply hung out of the ice, her eyes glued to the cloudy sky. _Has everything I believed in a lie? Something I imagined up by myself? Have I led my life believing in lies?_

Gray swam up to the surface as well and took a deep breath. He drifted in one place, his eyes stuck on Ultear.

"I don't know what happened between you and Ur." he began "But she did tell us about you, once. She told us of a certain girl, who changed her life forever, and just how happy she made her. Before she was torn away from her, that is."

Ultear looked at him. _It fits._

"I've never put the two together, that she was talking about her own child. I'd always assumed she had a student before us. But now I know that's not the case. She was talking about you."

Ultear bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. Just what the hell was she supposed to do right now?

Gray swam up to the shore and dispelled his ice, letting Ultear fall out of it. Before she fell back into the water, however, he gently caught her with his ice and brought her to the shore, where he laid her down on the sand. The woman slowly raised herself and crawled back to a nearby stone, before planting her back against it.

Gray stood up and hissed in pain, before picking up the shirt that was blown away by the wind. He ripped it and tied it around his waist in order to stop the bleeding from his wound.

Ultear watched him in silence for a bit, before speaking up. "Just what am I supposed to do right now?"she asked him. "Everything I believed in...it's gone."

Gray pulled on the ends of the knot and looked at her. "I don't care what you do, to be honest." he told her coldly.

Ultear's eyes widened a little, before giving in to a small smile. "Fair enough."

"Because I can't control you, nor decide for you." he finished his thought. "If it's a suggestion you're looking for, then it'd sound like this: Stand up, and walk. Just walk. Stop hurting others for your own selfish reasons and just go forward, without looking back. Start doing good things instead of destroying, try to become someone Ur would be proud of. That's what I've been trying to do for the past few years."

Ultear chuckled gently, but there was no sarcasm or irony behind it. "I should have expected that." she said with a gentle smile. "What are you planning to do now?" her expression grew grim.

"Finish this. Your battle may be over, but mine isn't."

"You cannot defeat Hades."

"Not alone."

"You will die."

Gray looked at her, his eyes still as determined as before, even if a little fatigued. "At least I won't die alone." he said. "As long as I stay true to myself and Ur's teachings, I can die while trying to do so. You should find your own resolve, too."

With that said, he left her alone to herself, his figure quickly vanishing behind the trees. Ultear stared at his back, lost in thought. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open in realisation.

In the middle of this skirmish...Where did Zeref go?

* * *

Laxus passed by unconscious Rustyrose, arching an eyebrow at the sight as he did so. He gently adjusted Juvia's figure on his back, who was unconscious from her injuries and entered through Freed's runes. The man run out to meet the newcomer and beamed upon seeing his leader.

"Laxus! You've made it!" he said, his smile quickly fading. "You're injured! And is that Juvia on your back?"

"Yeah. Took me a while to get here, though." said Laxus, ignoring his question about his burns and entered the tent, greeting the others by raising his right hand best to his ability. He gently placed the rain woman next to Mirajane and straightened his back.

"What happened?" asked Bickslow.

"She was fighting someone, I found them just when someone else was trying to kill them." explained the man. "That reminds me..." he said and looked at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer met his eyes.

"I had to clean up your trash, Salamander." said Laxus to Natsu and lifted his burned arm. It took him a moment, but Natsu's eyes widened in realisation, before giving in to shame. He lowered his head, unable to face the fellow Dragon Slayer.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked confused Lucy. Wendy, who understood the meaning of these words watched Natsu with narrowed eyes.

"I know the circumstances of why that happened." continued Laxus. "But you are someone who'd managed to bring me to my knees. By losing to people like him, you're making me look weak as well. Not to mention the guild."

Natsu clenched his fists and looked up to meet Laxus' gaze. The larger man walked up to him and pressed his fist against Natsu's chest. "Don't ever let it happen again. You answer for more than one life, now."

Natsu took his sweet moment, but nodded, his eyes somewhat determined. Truth to be told, he was sick of being on the losing end. However, he felt strange. From the way Laxus spoke, he could pick up a small glimpse of respect. It wasn't big, but it was definitely there.

And he appreciated every single bit of it.

* * *

Gray tripped once again, his right hand making contact with the ground. This one marked the 7th time he tripped in two minutes. With his vision blurry and blood soaking through the shirt, his hopes of getting back to the camp were becoming smaller and smaller with each second.

Figuring out that he couldn't go on like that, Gray let himself trip one more time, this time not even attempting to prevent the fall. Before he could meet the ground, he was caught by none other than Erza. The redhead smiled down at him, which somewhat reassured and gave Gray some strength back.

"You okay?" she asked him and wrapped his right arm around her neck in order to support him.

"Been better." he chuckled. "Looks like I always end up being saved by someone. Are you?"

Erza took a while to reply but smiled at him. "We're the same, then. And yes. My opponent was formidable, but I prevailed in the end."

"Was he the one behind that sudden drop in magic?" asked Gray with a frown.

"Well deduced." praised him impressed Erza. "Yes, he was."

The pair walked through the forest at a steady pace, both tired and injured, their trip passing in momentary silence. Gray was the one to break it.

"Do you know what's the situation out there? What about the others?"

Erza shook her head. "Not well. Master is down, he was defeated by Grimoire's Master. Gajeel engaged someone in battle and won, but he's injured. I left Juvia to battle one of the Kin, but I do not know the result. I have also been told Mira and Natsu have fallen in battle." she relayed to him, her voice becoming slightly choked at the end. "Unfortunately, that's all I know."

Noticing the change im her tone, Gray decided it was best not to bring it up. "I was with Lucy and Cana, but we got separated. I then battled my Master's daughter."

Erza looked at him, surprised. "Master? You mean Ur?"

"Yeah."

They continued to walk in silence. After couple of minutes they emerged from the trees and were welcomed by the sight of the camp, with several people standing before the tent. Erza smiled at Gray, who returned it and adjusted him on her figure, before they walked in.

"I hope everyone is okay." said the Maker with some dread creeping in his voice.

Erza sighed through her nose. "Me too."

As soon as they walked out of the wilds they were recognized by Lucy and Lisanna, who waved to them happily. Erza and Gray smiled at their sight, glad they were okay. Suddenly, someone else walked out of the tent, and at their sight Erza's breath got stuck in her throat.

Natsu walked out of the tent to greet the newcomers and acknowledged their presence with a short nod. For unknown reasons, as soon as he entered Erza's field of vision, she felt an enormous weight being lifted off her chest. She didn't even realise they had stopped walking, with amused Gray standing by her side, giving her a funny look.

"Go." he told her and motioned at his newest teammate with his head. "I can stand on my own. Just go."

The knight looked at him for further confirmation, his smirk being all she needed. She nodded gently and let go of him, before running off in the camp's direction. Truth to be told, she had no idea why she felt this way. Why she favored him this much. But it didn't matter right now.

Natsu had little to no time to brace himself, as the redhead ran right into him, wrapping her arms around his neck, clutching his figure as tight as she could. Natsu was forced to take two steps back to prevent himself from falling, his hands gently put on her back. He stared at the side of her head in shock, unsure of what was happening. He was almost as shocked as everyone behind him, who simply stared at the scene, their mouth agape.

Erza burried her nose in his neck. "I was told you were dead." she muffled into his skin, making him the only person to understand her.

Natsu gulped and clumsily wrapped his arms around her figure, not quite sure what to do. "I'm not. I'm not that easy to kill, you know." he assured her and gently massaged her back in a motion he copied from Lucy, who was giving him silent hints from further away. "I'm okay. Are you?"

Erza released him from her arms and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, I am." she told him and smiled. He smiled back at her and nodded in approval.

"Okay, now that we have tearful reunions behind us." said Laxus who emerged from the tent, with Lucy and Lisanna giving him a nasty eye for the remark. "We should decide what to do. What do you have for us, Erza?"

"Me and Gray have defeated a Kin each." told him the knight, with Gray nodding from behind her, Freed and Bickslow helping him to the camp.

"That makes all 7 of them." deduced Lisanna.

"Looks like we've taken care of every Kin on the island." said Gray, as he sat down on a chair. Wendy quickly ran up to him and started to heal his wound, which he thanked her for.

"Gildarts should be done soon, too, which means that as of right now the only person remaining..." began Lucy.

"...is the Big Boss." finished Gajeel.

"I shall go look for their ship." said Lily and spread his wings, before flying away.

The group watched him for a bit, before Laxus broke the silence. "We need a plan. We can't just storm them all at once, we have injured to take care of."

Cana massaged her chin. "We need two teams. As Laxus said, we can't just focus on attacking. Grimoire has other members as well, and they can come in here when we're gone. I propose we split into two teams – an Attack and a Defense teams."

"Keep in mind that our remaining opponent is someone capable of besting Master Makarov in a one on one combat." reminded Erza. "We might need all the firepower we can bring to the table."

"I will stay. I will focus on strengthening my runes and patrolling the area with my wings." said Freed.

"Me too." added Bickslow. "I can use my dolls to scout the area."

"I wish to stay with my siblings." threw in Lisanna. "It's the least I can do for them now."

"You stay, too." said Gajeel to Levy. "I don't want you running around in there." The girl bit her tongue, but nodded nonetheless. He was right.

"I will stay, too. I'm practically empty on magic, so staying here is me doing you guys a favor." smirked Cana.

"That means everyone else will be attacking." concluded Laxus. "Me, Salamander, Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, Lucy and Gray. Use the remaining time we have to rest and heal up, we're moving as soon as we know their location."

Everyone nodded and sat down for a moment, willing to use the chance to its fullest. Gray smirked under his nose, which did not go unnoticed by Lucy.

"What's up?" she asked him, curious.

"Nothing. It's just I feel kinda nostalgic with this lineup." he told her. It didn't take her long to catch up – if Juvia was with them, this would have been the exact same lineup they breached Tower of Heaven with.

Feeling slightly more at ease, Lucy smiled as well and caressed her key holster. Loke was unusable for some time now, so was Taurus. She didn't feel too confident about coming in to the fight while crippled, but everyone's presence made it easier for her.

Couple minutes later Pantherlily flew back to the camp, out of breath but happy. "I've found their ship! It's docked to the East side of the island, not so far from here! I haven't seen anyone guarding it, but there are definitely people inside!"

Laxus nodded. "How do you stand on magic?" he asked the Exceed, much to his surprise.

"I'm okay, I can keep going. Why?"

"I need you and Carla to come with us and focus on getting to the steering room. Try to disable the ship so that it doesn't fly off with us on board. If we kill their way of getting out of here, that's point for us." explained the Dragon Slayer.

Lily and Carla nodded.

"All right, get off your asses. We've got a job to do." announced Laxus and spun his right arm around in order to relax his shoulder.

The group nodded and stood up, entering fighting mode. Lisanna and the others looked at them with worry, with the youngest Strauss being the one to speak out. "Be careful, everyone!" She received thumbs up from Gray, Lucy and Gajeel.

"Let's go beat Hades." growled Laxus and punched his palm, lightning crackling dangerously around his fist. He would have lied if he said there was no personal grudge behind this statement.

However, luckily for him, he was not the only one feeling this way. They were going to pay him back for everything.

A hundred times fold.

* * *

Hades laughed out loud in his dining room and stood up from his chair, clapping loudly in the meantime. The magical connection he had with his subordinates has been broken, a feat that could have meant only one thing – all of them have faced defeat.

Still unable to believe it, the elder shook his head and reached out for his wine glass, emptying it in one go.

"Perhaps I should just get over it and compliment Makarov's runts." he wondered out loud. "They've managed to defeat my Seven Kin of Purgatory, children whom I have devoted decades of my life to nurture and train. And Bluenote...this has truly turned into an unforgivable twist of fate."

Hades put down his glass and walked up to the window, his arms kept behind his back. "How truly unsightly, Makarov. Your own children are making up for your failure. We truly are polar opposites, are we not? But do not worry, for soon you shall all meet each other again." he monologued out loud, his uncovered eye spotting a group of people approaching his ship. He smirked under his beard and quickly turned around on the balls of his feet, willing to meet his upcoming guests.

"I will send you all to hell. You will all meet one another in Hades."

* * *

Mest was beyond scared. No, scared was an understatement. He was absolutely terrified.

He raised his hands up to his lips in order to stop the sensation of wanting to vomit out of fear, his teary eyes wide open and glued to the figure that was standing before him for a minute now.

He had just relayed his message from Fairy Tail to Lahar, who respected their wish and granted them few more hours of time. This was the intent he came back to the island with – to let them know.

So why, for the love of everything he held dear did he have to run into Zeref of all people?

The Dark Mage was watching him with disinterest, not moving an inch from his position. That is until now, as he had picked up his pace and started to gently stroll towards Mest, who was frozen in fear, unable to move.

"Once again wars are being fought over me, over my very name." lamented Zeref. "For all of the time I've been alive, humanity has not changed in the slightest. They are the same they were since I remember. Selfish, hungry for power. It's truly heartbreaking."

Mest fell to his knees. Zeref was just few meters away from him.

"I have no intentions of doing anything in current era...but it is quickly coming to an end. The time may come where I make my move once again, and I fear it will happen very soon."

Zeref was now just in front of Mest. He stared the man down, his eyes still cold and indifferent. He then gently squatted next to him and put his left arm on Mest's left shoulder. It was cold.

"Acnologia is coming. Tell that to your higher ups." whispered Zeref and walked away, leaving Mest alone to himself and his thoughts.

Although he knew nothing of who the name belonged to, there was one thing he was certain of.

Whenever it was spoken out loud, it brought doom.

 **End of Chapter 29. To be continued in Chapter 30: Roaring Thunder.**

* * *

 **I hope you liked it. Not going to list down changes, because lots of things and dialogue from this chapter were original. Although there was barely if any Hades(character) in this chapter, he was one of its main themes. Also, the title is connected to Hades, the world of undead from mythology. Hope that clears it out. Next chapter will be focused on FT's battle with Hades, so stay tuned for that!**

 **I hope you liked the chapter, and see you next time!**


	31. Roaring Thunder

**Hello. Sorry this chapter took slightly longer than expected, it's been a while since I've written a team battle. Over a year, to be exact. Sorry in advance if the fight is not up to par D:**

 **Today we hit 900 followers! 100 more and we'll hit 1000. Damn...when did that happen? Thank you very much guys!**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter and have a nice read!**

* * *

Fairy Tail has been slowly, but surely getting closer to Grimoire Heart's ship. Having decided it'd be for the best to stay low and preserve as much stamina as possible, they cut through the thick forest at a snail's pace.

While walking through branches and leaves, they have been quietly trying to come up with a way to defeat Hades, a man who manhandled their Master with little to no difficulty, a feat none of them could ever hope to come close to.

Laxus and Erza were the main masterminds behind planning, both of them having witnessed Makarov at his best, which gave them more insight into just how powerful Hades could have been.

One of Laxus' first ideas was using Fairy Law, a spell he'd inherited from his grandfather himself, however, both him and Erza have soon realised, that Makarov must have tried it himself. From how he turned out it must have failed, which meant Hades had a way around the spell.

"We don't have the luxury of time." pointed out Erza while pushing a branch away from her face. "We are at danger of being attacked by the Council at any minute. We will have to be swift about this."

"How the hell do you expect to be quick in taking down the guy who's stronger than Gramps?" asked her Gray from behind. "Just beating him might be impossible, let alone in quick fashion."

"We're gonna hit him with everything we've got as soon as our eyes meet his." said Laxus. "We're all injured and our magic is not full. Erza's right, no matter what, dragging this out will backfire. We either take him down quickly, or he'll start picking us apart one by one, until no one remains."

Everyone's faces grew grim. He was right, none of them was in top condition, especially Gajeel and Gray, who both participated in the fight with their stomachs still pierced. Although their bleeding was stopped, the pain prevented them from moving at top speed.

Erza, who had no major injuries, but was banged up evenly across her whole body, also had trouble maintaining her usual speed and precision.

Laxus and Natsu, although both still lightly burned, were among the healthier members of the group, along with Lucy, whose injuries ended on few bruises and already stitched cuts.

Wendy was the only member of the group without any injuries on her figure, but her magic was quite possibly the lowest. One thing was certain – healing was most likely out of her grasp.

"You don't have to mention we all look like shit." scoffed Gajeel.

"How do we all stand on magic?" asked Lucy. "I'm practically full, but how are you guys?"

"Not well." Erza shook her head. "From what I can tell, you and Laxus are the only ones with plenty of magic left. Rest of us varies from barely half to a little over it." she added, looking at the rest for confirmation, their quick nods backing up her statement.

"That just means we might have just one shot at this." stated Laxus and split a bush in two, revealing the beach in the distance. Right by its shore stood a ship, its black exterior now gleaming from the rain and the light coming from thunders roaring above their heads. At the sight of their goal, everyone tensed up. There was no going back now.

"That being said..." added the Dragon Slayer and turned to everyone. "If we screw this up, we'll have no other choice but take it slower. In case that happens, we'll need a plan. I've got something, but it's your call if you want to go through with it." he told them, their nods being his answer.

Laxus gulped and covered them with the bush once again. "All right. None of you dare chicken out of it, or else I'll grind your ass into the ground. Listen up..."

* * *

Mest teleported at the shore, his breath pretty much non existent. He dropped to his knees, his eyes teary and burning from exhaustion, inhuman sounding wheezes coming out of his mouth. Never in his life did he travel this fast and with so little magic left.

Zeref's words and presence kept pressuring his mind like a vise, partially robbing his off stamina. With Acnologia's name echoing in his mind, he clenched his fist on the ground, sand filling up his hand. He lifted his heavy head and looked at the rescue ship his comrades resided in and used his last remaining bit of strength to get there.

He appeared in the middle of the ship, startling two poor freshmen, who dropped their spears at the sight of a man appearing before their eyes. Mest didn't even bother getting up, instead staying on his knees, whispers and murmurs filling his ears. Not so long after he heard the sound of heavy boots walking down the stairs, immediately recognizing the step in those legs.

Lahar walked up to Mest and kneeled beside him, placing his hand on man's back. "Welcome back. Are you done throwing tantrums left and right?"

His voice was not angry, nor accusing. If anything, it was worried, and that did not make it easier for Mest. Knowing full well that his earlier stunt with lacrimas was not the topic for now, he caught his breath and looked into his friend's eyes with enough determination to make him frown. "There's something I have to tell you."

And so, Mest told Lahar everything he'd experienced during past few hours. His talk with Fairy Tail, evading Seven Kin of Purgatory, running into Zeref, Acnologia's arrival. Lahar's face continued to drop more and more, until pure terror took over his body, forcing him to take few steps back, his face white in color. "Acnologia? Did you say...Acnologia?!"

Mest took few sips of the water brought to him in the meantime and nodded. "Yeah, heard it directly from Zeref. He made it very easy to understand."

Lahar's back touched the wall of the deck, his eyes dropping to his slightly raised hands. "How could this happen? First Grimoire Heart, then Zeref, now Acnologia...How could it happen, that all calamities of the world of magic meet in one place in a matter of one day?! What are the odds?!" he lamented quietly into his hands, which were now covering his face. He remained in this position for a bit, before letting them down, his face regaining a bit of its color. "All troops – retreat. I repeat, all troops retreat!" he repeated with a shout. "The investigation is over! Salvage what you can and prepare to sail! We are done with Tenrou Island!"

Rune Knights, although confused, agreed with a loud "Yes, sir!", and began to pack what remained of their ships, their injured already secure in the lower dock of their last remaining ship.

"Wait one second!" protested Mest and stood up. "What about Fairy Tail? We need to warn them!"

"They are no longer our concern." stated coldly Lahar. "Go and warn them if you wish, but we will not wait for you. We've spent enough time here."

Mest grit his teeth and punched the wooden floor in anger. Lahar took off his glasses and massaged the corners of his eyes while sighing tiredly. "We lost our entire fleet to one mage, we were powerless against Seven Commandments and allowed them to control us for months, we could not have arrested Oracion Seiss without the Guild Alliance...The Council, as it is, cannot continue." he said and put his glasses back on. "Perhaps voting in favor of _that_ idea is not that bad of a choice."

With that said, he left Mest alone to himself to command his remaining troops.

* * *

Hades strolled across the main corridor of his ship, his right hand stroking his long beard, an amused smirk glued to his old face.

"Two deceased...one with no chance of recovery...two traitors, and two bested in combat. Makarov's brats truly deserve a praise. I've never expected to lose all of my Kin, not in this short amount of time." he monologued as he continued on his way. "You've raised some truly admirable brats, Makarov. I hope you do not hold a grudge against me if I answer their stubbornness with equal strength. I have no other choice here."

Hades entered the main room of the ship, the entrance already opened and ready to take its guests. The elder smirked even wider and walked up to the edge of the ship, immediately looking down. His eyes laid on Fairy Tail's assault group, their eyes glued to his, as both parties stared each other down for a long while.

"So this is Hades, huh?" asked Gray with a dry throat.

Laxus' scowl deepened. "Yeah. Definitely."

Erza noticed his clenched fists, his anger no longer obeying his will. She was in no position to judge, or criticize him – she felt the same. She shifted her eyes back to the elder, sweat running down her face. Although he did not unleash his magic power just yet, his sheer presence was beyond intimidating. She felt like she was staring at a giant mountain, one she was about to challenge with her sword, that now looked like a toothpick in comparison to the difference in size.

Lucy gulped loudly, with Wendy gently hugging her torso against her will. They were both terrified.

"Fairy Tail's Third Generation." greeted them Hades while clapping. "You have my praise. You've managed to crawl through my forces and come all the way here, only to perish, just like Makarov did."

The group frowned at him, clearly touched by his words. Laxus clenched his fists even harder and replied. "We won't lose to a relic as old as you."

"Your determination is, as expected, remarkable. I'd lie if I said I wasn't interested in what you all have to offer. Your magics are quite interesting and in some cases" he said and shifted his eyes at the Dragon Slayers "rare."

"Your words are empty and do not interest us." said Erza. "Save your breath."

Hades scoffed gently in amusement and turned his back to Fairy Tail before walking back into his ship. "Very well. You are hereby welcome to come on board of my ship. Death awaits you."

As soon as his figure vanished, Laxus gently tilted his head to the right. "Gray." he called out.

The Maker blinked. "Yeah?"

"Make a way up, preferably stairs." he ordered him. "With railings." he added after a moment. "Cats." he turned to Lily and Carla. "Find another way in and try to disable this thing. Destroy whatever you want, just make sure we don't fly away with it."

The Exceeds nodded and flew off in opposite direction, Carla taking her time. She hesitated for a bit, before turning back. "Wendy!"

The girl looked at her. "Be careful." said Carla in farewell, before flying off. Wendy watched her friend fly away, nodding to her back eagerly. She had no intentions of dying tonight.

The rest looked up and took one last breath.

"Let's go!" roared Laxus, which gave Gray the signal to mold a stairway that reached up to the very entrance. The group quickly started to climb it. After couple of seconds, they were just mere steps away from getting on board.

"We must fight with our full power from the very beginning, but remember, stick to the plan if things go south." reminded Erza to everyone, as she ran in front. "We have to work together if we want to-"

Her sentence was interrupted by someone grabbing her right shoulder and pushing her back with enough strength to almost knock her over. Erza's body fell onto the railing, and with the corner of her eye she spotted two figures running up front.

Natsu and Laxus ran up ahead, pulling everyone in their way backwards, with Gray and Lucy also being nearly dropped off the stairs. Both Dragon Slayer clad their bodies in their respective elements, before simultaneously punching a giant beam of green energy that greeted them with their fists, a beam they spotted thanks to their advanced senses.

Erza and the others were blown back by the impact, Natsu and Laxus pushing through best to their ability. They bent their back legs and pushed through, successfully breaking the spell, which Erza started to recognize just now. _This was...Jellal's magic!_

Gray, Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy were shocked, but soon understood what just happened – the battle had already began.

With the beam dispelled, Fairy Tail was greeted with the sight of Hades standing some distance away, his right arm extended before his figure. Upon seeing his "greeting" did no damage at all, the elder let out an impressed sound.

Natsu and Laxus climbed the remaining few steps at the same time, their figures side by side, and as soon as their pivots touched the wooden flooring of the ship, they both puffed out their chests.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Their roars cut through the ship side by side, fire and lightning filling up the hall, as they made their way towards Hades. The elder did not move an inch from his spot and merely pointed his fingers at the floor and swiped his arm upwards, a dark grey pillar appearing out of thin airthin air. The pillar blocked majority of the roars, their remains spilling to the sides, burning everything on their way.

Predicting what was going to happen next, Hades chuckled at Fairy Tail's creativity. Out of the remains of now dying out roars, Gray ran out of Natsu's flames and Gajeel out of Laxus' lightning, both of them trying to flank the elder. Gray molded two swords, each in his hand, while Gajeel turned his right hand into a club.

Both men dashed forward at the same time and attacked with their weapons, however to no effect. Hades simply caught Gajeel's club with his bare hand and knocked Gray back with a shockwave that effectively disarmed him. Hades then pulled Gajeel forward and kicked him in the gut, knocking air out of his body.

Spotting something above, Hades attached a chain to Gray's body and threw the Maker up in the air right into Erza, who tried to attack from above with her **Black Wing Armor**. The knight was forced to put away her blade and catch him, breaking her attack. Hades then tried to combine his chain with another spell, only for Gajeel to cut it with his left hand, which was now turned into a sword. Hades frowned and punched Gajeel in the stomach once again, before throwing him at the pair above. Erza grit her teeth and tried to catch Gajeel with one hand, only for Hades to snap his fingers and make him both blow up from a mark he left on his club. The trio was swallowed by the explosion.

Erza, Gray, and Gajeel fell to the ground, with Natsu and Laxus flying over their bodies like two bullets. Their fists collided with Hades' crossed guard he put up just in time, the impact making the entire ship shake, glass in the windows causing lots of noise. Both Slayer immediately continued their onslaught, bombarding the elder with kicks and punches that forced him to block and dodge, not leaving him any chances to cast a spell.

Gray, Gajeel, and Erza stood up and dashed forward as well, slowly surrounding Hades. Seeing this, the Master caught Natsu's leg and Laxus' fist and held them in place, before charging up a spell. A second later all five mages were blown away by a powerful shockwave that shook the entire ship and knocked out all windows in the hall, glass falling to the ground.

Gray, who flew the farthest, found himself just in front of Wendy and Lucy, who both stayed on the sidelines, not affected by the spells that were used thus far. He quickly created a launchpad made out of ice and called out to his teammate. "Natsu!".

Natsu, who was still in the air, understood the message almost immediately, and quickly flipped in the air, his legs landing on the creation. Gray flexed his muscles as hard as he could and threw his teammate at Hades, turning him into a human bullet.

Having understood the message, Wendy and Lucy used **Sky Dragon's Roar** and Scorpio respectively to create a vortex of wind and sand around Natsu, who clad his cloak of flames once again.

"A Unison Raid?" questioned intrigued Hades, before being smashed into stomach by Natsu's head.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!**_

Grimoire's Master grunted from pain, his body being pushed back against his will, but his feet remained on the ground. He reached out to grab Natsu and stop his attack, only to be nailed by a nasty right overhand, courtesy of Laxus. Both Dragon Slayers pushed as hard as they could, their bodies glowing from enchantments granted to them by Wendy, and successfully sent the elder flying, his figure crashing into his throne, wood and metal flying in all directions, a dust cloud swallowing him whole.

Natsu stood up from the ground and breathed out, with the rest walking up to him and Laxus. They all awaited the results with anticipation,

Without any warning, Hades blew up the debris and wood that surrounded him, shocking Fairy Tail as well. They could spot his figure standing up in the dust, his shadow walking towards them.

"It is believed..." he said in a loud, echoing voice. "That mistakes made by people sooner or later turn into experience. A naive thought, in my opinion."

Laxus scowled at the sight of unscathed Hades emerging from the dust. Erza quickly raised her blade, with the others putting their guard up as well. The knight cursed in her mind, her hands gently shaking – their plan failed. They would not get a second chance like this.

Hades took off his helmet and threw it to the ground. It turned out to be heavier than expected, as it easily broke the wooden floor upon impact. He then reached out to his left shoulder and undid his cloak. "A true mistake is the one that leaves you with no experience to be gained what so ever. A mistake you have made as soon as you stepped inside my ship." he declared and undid the right side of his cloak, revealing his battle outfit that consisted of black iron gauntlets, dosed over sleeves made ot of chain mail and finished with light grey armor shoulder pads. He had a black shirt and white pants, with deep red flames at the end of his pantlegs. "A true mistake is the one that leaves you with no room for experience to be gained. Making the mistake of taking me as an opponent leaves you with no future at all, Fairy Tail. You are about to find that out."

It took less than a second. In just an instance, the entire hall grew black, gravity raised immensely. Wendy and Lucy immediately crashed to their knees, unable to breathe, as Hades unleashed his magic power on them. Pieces of wood started to be ripped out of the floor and slowly rise up in the air, as they continued to be crushed in the air more and more until nothing but splinters remained.

Gray and Gajeel clutched their chests, both of them having trouble breathing, fighting through it. Against their own will, they both took a step back, something no one sane would ever blame them for.

Erza held her ground, but her blade was shaking than ever before. _So this is the power of someone who can best Master Makarov...This man stands above anyone and anything I have ever faced in my entire life. The difference is simply too great…_

A drop of sweat fell from her chin to the ground, as it splashed against her armored foot. Erza clenched her teeth and gripped her sword even tighter, killing the shaking. _There is no backing out of this now. We all came prepared, we all knew what we'd face here. None of us regrets this!_

That was the thought shared by everyone present in the room. Although it was almost impossible, Lucy and Wendy stood up, not letting fear get to them. Everyone regained their posture and simply endured the heavy rain of magic that fell onto them.

Hades, who continued to stare them down with his arms crossed before his chest took a deep breath and stopped his magic, gravity coming back to normal. The pieces he picked up with his magic fell to the ground, as he watched each of his opponents carefully – he had failed. Their spirit has yet to be broken. Pleased his toys still had some use, he slowly placed his arms on his sides. "Now then, I think we've both had enough warm up. Feel free to attack me any time you want."

Silence fell on the ship, neither party moving an inch, both of them measuring each other up. They knew he was plotting something, but Fairy Tail had no other choice but to attack. Having calmed down from the storm, they all thought one thing – the time has come.

Natsu, Laxus, Gray, and Gajeel kicked the ground as hard as they could and roared loudly, before charging straight at Hades, Laxus' plan echoing in their minds as they did.

 _Me, Salamander, Gray, and Gajeel will act as vanguard. We will be the first line of the front, since we all have similar fighting styles and our magics are compatible._

Natsu and Laxus were the first to strike, with the former using his left fist, and the latter his right. Hades caught them in front of his chest and flexed his arms before throwing both Dragon Slayers in the air. Gray and Gajeel tried to use this opening to their advantage, with Gray's right hand being clad in a gauntlet of ice, and Gajeel's turned into a club. They crashed them into Hades' forearms, but unlike with others, they didn't let him catch them. They continued their rush as best as they could, their strikes being repeatedly blocked and parried.

In the meantime, Natsu and Laxus kicked the ceiling and spread out, both of them starting to bounce off the walls and ceiling like balls, their elemental cloaks surrounding their bodies. Shortly after Hades was being surrounded by balls of fire and lightning flying over his head, distracting him and leaving him unsure of when they'd strike.

Fed up, he deflected Gajeel's strike and punched him in the gut with even more strength than last time. The Dragon Slayer fell to his knees. Gray tried to attack from Hades' left side, but the elder simply sidestepped out of the way, spun around in his spot and struck Gray in the back of his head with his right elbow, before kicking him away.

As soon as he did that, Natsu and Laxus kicked off the walls that were opposite of each other and flew straight into Hades, effectively catching him by surprise and punching him with their rights – Natsu's in the elder's left cheek, and Laxus' into his right ribs.

Hades grunted from pain but recovered very quickly and put his right hand in front of Laxus' face, blasting him with the same beam of green energy from before. Laxus was taken by the spell and knocked off the ship through the wall. Once he dealt with that, Hades grabbed Natsu by the wrist and smashed his right elbow across his left temple, almost knocking him out. Seeing this, Erza kicked the ground and joined the battle.

 _Erza will stay directly behind us. You won't be in the vanguard, but you will back us up if needed. If we fall, you will be the only one who can defend Wendy and Lucy, whose only role will be supporting us. Gray and Gajeel are injured, so I don't trust them with protecting someone, but you can do it. Attack or defend – it's your call._

She gripped her blade and used the maximum speed of her armor. Noticing her approach, Hades spun Natsu around and threw him directly at Erza, who was forced to set her blade aside and catch her teammate.

With Erza distracted, Hades extended his right hand and started to charge a spell, his hand glowing dangerously. Just when he was about to release it, his arm was knocked upwards, a giant purple ball flying into the ceiling and blowing it up upon contact, pieces of the roof falling to the ground.

Gajeel and Gray stopped Hades from killing their friends, with Gray kicking the arm, and Gajeel smashing it with his club. Hades frowned in irritation and swiped his fingers at Gajeel, gravity above him increasing and smashing his figure into the ground. He then focused on Gray and blasted him with an air current that made him cough up blood and fly across the hall and smash into what remained of the throne.

Injured, roaring Laxus broke through the wall of the ship from outside and charged directly at Hades, whose concentration broke, which freed Gajeel, who was now standing up to push forward as well. Gray quickly ran out of the debris, and Natsu, who launched himself off Erza's shield, was also on his way.

Hades was about to get hit by four charging mages, every single one of them attacking from a different angle. Feeling excitement taking the better of him, he smirked under his beard and prepared himself for impact.

Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus and Gray all smashed into Hades at once, who blocked all of their strikes – Natsu and Gajeel with his hands, Laxus with his left knee and Gray with his right shoulder. A second later all 5 men erupted in a wild exchange of blows, Hades being in the middle of the circle, with Fairy Tail's group being unable to punch their way through, even with all 4 of them attacking at once, their elements splashing all over the area from the blows.

Erza continued to watch the battle from behind, carefully awaiting the moment to strike.

Having realised their rhythm was not good enough with all 4 of them attacking at once, Fairy Tail quickly divided into two groups of two. Hades kicked Gajeel right in the face with his right leg, which would have blown him back if it wasn't for Laxus, who caught him. Gray and Natsu continued to push Hades back, and with more room for their movements they could both use different techniques.

Gray slashed with his sword from above, which Hades blocked with his forearm, his gauntlet's temperature raised high enough to quickly melt the ice before it could slice through. In the meantime, Natsu threw an uppercut at the elder's stomach, who blocked it with his left hand. Hades clenched his fist and struck Gray with a short backfist that knocked him to the floor and quickly attacked Natsu with the same hand, who headslipped to his left and avoided the strike, at the same time throwing an overhand right above Hades' extended left arm. The punch caught him on the jaw.

The Dragon Slayer dosed his cloak of flames once again and rushed Hades as fast as he could, both men exchanging blows, their movements becoming a blur. Surprised at how well Natsu was holding his own by himself, Hades increased his speed and started to push him back, before finally gaining the upper hand. He blew Natsu's head up with a nasty uppercut and pushed him back with a kick to the gut that made him drop to his knee.

Gajeel and Laxus attacked Hades in his stead, however before they could get close to him, Hades created numerous straps of purple energy, which he used to launch at the Dragon Slayer. Laxus flexed his body and expanded his lightning, burning the straps away.

Hades whistled at his magic power and started to prepare another spell, only to be forced to raise his right hand and melt lances sent his way by Gray.

With Hades distracted, the vanguard threw themselves at Hades at once, however instead of attacking him, they took a different strategy. Gray and Gajeel threw themselves at his legs, while Natsu and Laxus tried to attack from above. Natsu was smashed by a powerful right hand that left him rocked, but he quickly recovered and grabbed Hades' arm, before lifting his legs off the ground and securing him in an incomplete armbar. On the other side, Laxus successfully struck Hades with his right hand and secured his left arm. Gray froze the Master's right leg, while Gajeel surrounded his left in iron and nailed it to the floor. Each of the men gave their all to seal away one of Hades' limbs, leaving him exposed and unable to move.

"Erza!" roared Gray, and Hades' eyes immediately shifted to the knight, who stood several meters away, the remains of her **Heaven's Wheel Armor** dosing her body. He felt his eyes widen at the sight of at least three dozen blades hovering behind her back, all of them aimed in his direction.

Erza lifted the sword she held in her right hand and swung it down in the air.

 _ **BLUMENBLATT!**_

All blades cut through the air directly at Hades' chest, the Dragon Slayers and Gray making sure he had no way of escaping. The elder smirked at the thrill. "Now that would be problematic."

With no warning what so ever, all 5 men were suddenly taken in by a giant pillar of purging flames, courtesy of Hades who unleashed the spell. Gray and Gajeel howled in pain, their ice and iron breaking like it was nothing, as they both jumped back, burned. Laxus grit his teeth and turned his body into electricity in order to escape. Erza's blades were knocked away by the wind currents created by the flames, which made Erza click her tongue in frustration and Requip out of her armor.

Suddenly, the spell started to vanish, the flames being sucked into one spot. Natsu, who was the only one not affected by the attack used the opportunity to replenish his magic and devoured the whole spell. As soon as he sucked in the last bit, he tilted his torso backwards, before releasing a point blank Roar right into Hades' face.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

The Master was swallowed by purging fire, its temperature much more deadly than his own spell. Natsu continued to pump magic into his attack for few more seconds, before feeling his mouth being forcefully closed by Hades' right hand, his gauntlet damaged and his body dosing very light burns. He lifted the Dragon Slayer in the air and struck him in the stomach with his free hand, before casting him aside in order to counter approaching Laxus. The elder sidestepped out of the way of his punch and kneed him in the stomach, before striking him with a left backfist to the back of the head.

Natsu grit his teeth and got on all fours, his nails dug deep into the wood to stop his momentum, with Laxus doing the same on the opposite side. "Laxus!" he called out to him and raised his arms, before smashing them into the floor, breaking it in the process.

Although it took him a second, Laxus understood the message and did the same, both Slayers leaving Hades confused. It didn't even take couple seconds for the ship to start shaking, with Hades catching up soon after.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S PILLAR!**_

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S PILLAR!**_

A combined tower of fire and thunder devoured Hades from beneath, catching him by surprise and making him scream out in agony, marking it the first good hit they've landed on him. Both Dragon Slayers continued to pump their magic into the floor, not willing to let this chance slip away. Feeling angry, the elder broke the spell with enough force to crack the floor in the hall.

Hades panted lightly, his only visible eye glued to Laxus, however before he could strike he was forced to slip his head to the side to avoid being impaled by a sword, courtesy of Erza. Just as he turned to face her, he was met with the faces of scowling Gray and Gajeel who both struck him with their elements, with Natsu and Laxus joining in from the sides as well.

This marked the end of his patience. Hades quickly responded by nearly breaking Gajeel's neck with a punch that made him fly directly into Natsu, and kicking Gray with enough force to make his eyes rid of pupils, as he flew into Laxus. Hades then conjured chains in both of his hands and wrapped them around both pairs, before swinging them to the center and smashing all 4 men together. Once he did that, he let go of the chains and blasted them all a powerful wind current that both blew them back to where the girls were, but also cut them all over their bodies.

"Everyone!" called out Lucy and ran up to them, with Wendy doing the same. Erza could not worry about them, since as of right now, she was the only one standing.

Grimoire's Master walked up to them and stopped several meters away, his hands clapping sarcastically. "Well done. Your combined efforts have managed to damage me more than Makarov did all by himself. Perhaps I've underestimated you. Your generation might yet surpass the one I've left behind all those years ago."

Erza frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Hades looked at her surprised. "Did you come here not knowing whom you would be facing? Did Makarov not say anything about me? I feel genuinely hurt."

"Answer me!"

Hades shook his head in disappointment. "There should have been plenty of information about me, archived in the basement...I am Fairy Tail's Second Master, who went by the name of Precht."

Fairy Tail stared at him, shocked. "Bullshit." scoffed Gajeel.

"As if we'd buy it." growled Gray.

"Just how Mavis left her will in my care" ignored them Hades. "I have left mine in Makarov's. And what a fine job he did, leading the guild for almost fifty years. Although your ideals may not cooperate with mine, he made sure to stay true to the guild's roots. For that alone, I respect him."

"Fairy Tail's Master turning out like this...it's simply not possible." muttered Erza.

"It is."

Laxus stood up and glared at his grandfather's predecessor. "I didn't want to believe it either, but he's telling the truth. As of right now, all Masters of Fairy Tail are on this island, both alive and dead. Him, Mavis and Old Man."

The last bit piqued the elder's interest. "Old Man? So you really are connected to the boy. Grandson, I presume? That explains your magic."

Laxus ignored the praise and looked at his guildmates. "We need to hit him with something big, even bigger than what we did just now. If we want to do that, we'll need to involve everyone."

"You're right." nodded Erza. "Can you do it?" she turned to Lucy and Wendy, who both nodded.

"Truth to be told, I have a plan." admitted Lucy. "But I don't know if it works, everything has to go exactly as it needs to. It's risky."

"We're in no place to be picky." said Natsu. "Bring it. In the meantime, Wendy." he called out to the girl. "Eat some air."

The girl nodded and started to suck the air in, while Lucy explained her plan. "Okay, listen carefully."

* * *

Carla and Pantherlily successfully sneaked onto the ship and now traveled through the air shaft in search of the control room. Unfortunately, they've yet to find anything even remotely resembling such a room, instead finding lots of chambers and barracks for soldiers, who kept lurking around the ship.

"I'm starting to fear this ship has no control room after all." admitted quietly Carla. "We've already checked all obvious spots, we're running out of room to cover."

"Impossible." disagreed Lily. "Even if it's not a whole control room, this ship must have a power source. As long as we eliminate that, we will be successful."

Carla sighed. "I hope you're right. It's been a while since we've come in here."

They both continued to travel in silence for few more minutes, before Lily spotted something with the corner of his eye. Curious, he gently lifted the check and jumped down, much to Carla's dismay.

"Wai- What are you doing?!" she called out after him.

Lily landed on the floor and quickly looked around, before running up to the nearby door, with Carla flying right behind him. They both sneaked inside and gently closed the door, making as less noise as possible.

"Why did you-" started Carla, only to drop her jaw in horror, with disturbed Lily standing right beside her.

In front of them was a giant container filled with green, dirty fluid in which floated a massive, dark-red heart, its beating loud and aggressive. The container was connected to many consoles filled with buttons through pipes and thick cables, that were very poorly organised and muddled up.

"What the hell is this?" asked quietly Carla. Lily simply shook his head, but quickly regained his composure.

"I doubt it's the power source, but it looks too important to be left alone." he said and shifted into his battle form. He walked up to one of the consoles and examined it. "It might not be what we came here for, but let's try to disable it. I have a bad feeling about leaving it all by itself."

Suddenly, both Exceeds heard steps outside of the room. Lily walked up to the door and placed his ear against it.

"Someone is in _that_ room! Check it out!"

Cursing under his nose, Lily jumped away from the door. "No matter what happens, keep trying to destroy this thing. Push the buttons, cut the cables. Don't stop working. I'll handle this!"

As soon as he said that, the door was blown up with countless men storming inside the room, all of them armed. Pantherlily quickly grabbed one of the men by the wrist and punched him, successfully disarming him and taking away his sword. As soon as he grabbed it, the blade grew in size, much to his surprise.

"I see...This blade changes size according to its wielder's. Just like my old blade." he deduced with a nostalgic smile. He gripped the sword with both hands and grinned at his opponents. "Let's test it out."

* * *

Hades watched the group from afar, patiently awaiting their next move. His victory was already assured, and he'd lie if he said they did not entertain him. Sparing few more minutes would not hurt him in the slightest.

All of a sudden, Laxus and Erza kicked the ground and dashed at Hades, with the knight dosing her **Lightning Empress Armor.** As soon as they ran off and engaged Hades in combat, Gray punched his palm and molded a small iceberg in front of Lucy. Gajeel walked up to it and used his iron to create a not so tall fence around it. After that Natsu placed his right hand on the ice and started to quickly melt it, water filling up the discount tub.

Laxus and Erza continued to attack Hades one after another, him with his lightning and her with her **Black Wing Armor** , which she Requipped after having her previous one quickly torn apart by blades made out of energy, the difference being she was now using her axes instead of sword.

Erza slashed at him from above, to which Hades responsed by conjuring his chain and using it to block the attack. Erza gripped her left axe and hacked at him horizontally, to which he replied by leaning backwards. With Erza being suspended in the air and her arsenal momentarily lost, Hades simply raised his right leg and kicked her in the ribs, blowing her upwards.

Immediately after that Laxus struck with his right fist, only to be caught. He then used his left, which was caught again. With Hades' powerful grip holding him in place, Laxus clenched his teeth and leaned backwards, before headbutting the elder, who took it quite well. Both men locked each other in a power struggle, lightning and magic power crackling around them, the floor cracking and breaking from the force.

"Interesting..." said Hades. "To think that boy had someone other than Gildarts in this league. You're very interesting, Laxus."

"I'm not looking for praises from a fossil." grunted Laxus.

Hades smiled and looked down, with Laxus taking the bait. Below him was a dark purple magic circle, which he recognized as one of Amaterasu formulas. He quickly broke contact with Hades and jumped back, who was waiting for this moment. He placed his right hand on the Dragon Slayer's chest and marked him, before blasting him back with a shockwave. With Laxus being safe distance away, Hades snapped his fingers, making him blow up.

Erza charged at the elder again and swung her axe at his head from above, only for him to step out of the way. He quickly reached out for Erza and grabbed her by the throat, his grip closing on it, immediately robbing her of air. He lifted her up in the air, only to then smash her into the ground, her weapons falling out of her grasp. Erza placed her hands on his arm in order to release the grip, which amused Hades greatly. He started to push Erza into the ground, at the same time using his gravity magic on her, causing her unbearable pain and quickly made her tear up.

As soon as he was done melting the iceberg, furious Natsu kicked the ground and dashed forward, with Gray and Gajeel following him in suit a second later. Noticing their approach, Hades stopped torturing Erza and threw her into Natsu, who caught her into his arms. Gajeel and Gray passed him by and attacked Hades, who easily blocked their attacks.

"You okay?" asked Natsu, as he helped Erza stand up.

The redhead struggled to breathe, but wiped her eyes and responded. "Yeah. Is it ready?"

"Yeah."

"Then go."

Natsu nodded and joined his guildmates, who were being currently pummeled. Laxus, who recovered from the explosion has also joined the fray, with all 5 men engaging in yet another wild exchange of attacks.

Erza jumped back and landed right in front of Lucy and the tub. The blonde turned to Wendy. "Go, we'll cover you."

The girl nodded and ran forward. Lucy pulled a key out of her holster and looked at it, sighing gently. "Please, listen to me just this once."

Gray fell to the ground from a nasty right hook to his temple, with Hades immediately stepping on his back with his left leg, keeping him in place. He then headslipped away from Natsu's kick and grabbed him by the leg, before throwing him into Laxus, at the same time raising his left palm to Requip a shield that caught Gajeel's **Demon Logs,** the lances plunging themselves into the iron shield.

Natsu and Laxus ran towards him from behind, to which he replied by turning around by 180 degrees and raising his both arms.

 _ **MAXIMUM AIR CUTTER!**_

Both Dragon Slayers were blown away by the massive current of air, which caused them to fly straight into the debris he himself walked out of several minutes ago. They crashed into it with enough force to completely break the floor around it, making it uneven and missing pieces.

Gray, who was still under Hades' foot, placed his hands on his leg and began to freeze it. Noticing this, the elder took his foot off the Maker and kicked him in the ribs, making him fly into Gajeel. The Dragon Slayer turned his left shoulder to Gray and stopped his flight, with Gray smashing into it. He quickly got back on his feet, only to be wrapped with a chain together with Gajeel. Hades raised his right arm above his head and started to spin both men around in the air while laughing, before smashing them both into the wall of the ship.

Suddenly, he was pushed back by a gigantic vortex of water that came seemingly out of nowhere. This turned out to be false, as the water was being created by Aquarius, who was summoned in the tub boys created together, as well as Erza, who was now clad in **Sea Empress Armor.**

Although it didn't damage him, Hades found himself being pushed back little by little, until he entered the dust cloud he created after blasting away Natsu and Laxus. Fed up with his shower, he put his right arm into the vortex and blew it up from the inside, causing its casters to click their tongues in irritation.

The explosion created an artificial rain and its impact cleared out the dust, and what Hades noticed shocked him dearly.

He was currently surrounded by all four Dragon Slayers, who created a square around him, covering each corner he could have used to escape. Seeing he couldn't regroup on the ground, Hades tried to jump, only to realise he couldn't – his legs were frozen up to the middle of his thighs, courtesy of Gray who used the additional water to his advantage.

Hades placed his hands on the ice in order to get rid of it, but he caught something else, something that made his eye widen in shock. All four Dragon Slayers have taken a deep breath and tilted their heads backwards, a sign he was well familiar with.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

 _ **SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

 _ **IRON DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

All four of them unleashed their attacks at the same time, their elements meeting in one place – where Hades stood. The elder was devoured by the attacks, a giant ball of iron, wind, flames and lightning forming around him, as he cried out in agony, his eye opening wide.

The Slayers continued to pour their all into their attacks and while they did so, Erza prepared another set of blades to send in Hades' direction. Having noticed that, Hades motioned the index and middle fingers of his right hand, before unleashing a spell.

 _ **MAGIC CANCEL!**_

The Roars have been broken almost immediately, a small shockwave knocking Wendy over. Natsu, who was also pushed away, placed his right foot behind him and stayed on his feet. "Gray!" he roared as loud as he could.

Hades immediately turned in the Maker's direction, who was currently surrounded in an icy aura. His right fist was on his palm, but to Hades' surprise, there was no creation. Or so he thought, until he noticed the giant shadow under his feet. Upon looking up his eyes spotted a giant hammer, that soon began to descend onto him.

Gray breathed deeply from exhaustion, but completed the hammer and threw it at Hades.

 _ **ICE MAKE: HAMMER!**_

Gajeel quickly picked up Wendy from the floor and all four Dragon Slayer escaped from the area, the hammer falling on top of Hades and breaking what remained of the floor. Fairy Tail regrouped a safe distance away, most of them panting heavily.

After couple moments of silence, the hammer began to shake and soon broke into hundreds of pieces. Hades emerged from the icy mist, his arms crossed on his chest and his attire ruined. He was missing clothes on his entire right arm and his shirt was ripped. His pants were missing their left pantleg. His injuries were not serious, much to Fairy Tail's dismay, but he was banged up nonetheless.

Hades carefully examined each member of Fairy Tail, his eye staying on Laxus, Natsu, and Erza for slightly longer than others. It then laid on Gray. The elder spread out his arms to the side.

"I've had my fun." he declared. "You've shown me everything you could have. Dragging this out for longer is pointless."

Suddenly, he vanished. Or that's what it seemed to them. Gray's horrifying wheeze was their wakeup call and their eyes quickly shifted to him.

Hades, who was currently standing right in the middle of their group, had his right fist deep in Gray's stomach, his punch knocking him out immediately. The elder followed it up by tossing Gray up in the air and kicking his unconscious figure aside with his right leg, rivers of blood left in the air as he flew into the wall of the ship.

Lucy, who was standing closest to Hades, pulled out her whip and covered Wendy with her own body, convinced she was the next one to get hit. Hades simply looked at the blonde and used his gravity magic on her, smashing her figure into the ground, as she cried out in pain, several of her bones fractured and some of them broken.

The spell was broken by Laxus, who punched Hades from the side and cut his lower lip. Seeing his own blood made Hades furious and in retaliation he used the same magic on the Slayer, only with much greater force. Laxus broke through the floor and fell down to the very lowest levels of the ship, his body breaking through floor by floor.

With Laxus gone, the elder's focus was currently on Erza, who slashed at him, still in Sea Empress Armor. Hades evaded the slash and put his hand on her chestplate, yellow marks written in a foreign language spreading over her body. Erza's arms were forcefully brought to her sides, the spell binding her.

The knight fell to the ground and was about to have her head stomped before being saved by Natsu, who smashed his figure into Hades, knocking him off balance. The Dragon Slayer began to attack Hades, who blocked all of his strikes. The Master caught his right punch just before it could connect to his face, but Natsu was fed up with that. He grabbed Hades' shirt with his right hand and jumped in the air, pulling on the shirt to shift his weight. A second later Hades was nailed by a powerful right kick to the face that made him take a step back.

Natsu landed on his feet and ran after Hades, only to then stop for a split second and jump in the air, an aircurrent cutting through where he stood just now. Surprised that his attack was predicted, Hades blocked Natsu's kick with his arm, who used it as a stepping stone and jumped in the air, before creating a ball of flames above his head.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!**_

Hades jumped out of the way and landed few meters away, now close to Lucy and Wendy. Natsu followed him, but soon spotted red markings on his body, which then blew up, knocking him off the air and crashing him into the ground.

Seeing that the girls were the weakest among the group, Hades shifted his right hand into a gun and pointed it at Wendy, who was currently trying to heal Lucy's fractured leg – taking out the healer was common sense on the battlefield.

He released a magic bullet that went directly through Wendy's left forearm, making the girl cry out in pain. The elder then smirked and shot one more round, which was now blocked by Gajeel, who was clad in his iron scales. The bullet was blocked, but it knocked off few scales as well, bringing him pain.

Hades made an impressed sound and fully turned to Gajeel, before bombarding him with a barrage of bullets. Although Gajeel blocked all of them with his body, it came at a great price, his scales being knocked off his body like old paint, most of them along with his very skin.

After few seconds of torture, Gajeel fell to his knees and lost his scales, his vulnerable, broken body now exposed.

Hades looked around. Erza, who was slowly making her way out of her binds, was still immobile. Gray's broken figure was sticking out from beneath debris on the side of the ship. Laxus was at the bottom of the vehicle, Wendy had no power to do anything on her own, Lucy's body was broken and Gajeel was grievously injured. The battle was over.

Grimoire's Master raised his right hand and pointed it at Gajeel and the girls, purple energy forming around his palm. "If you wish to despise someone for this, aim it at Makarov. It is his fault you've all had to go through this." he told them, before launching a giant ball of energy, similar to the one he used earlier.

Just when it was about to kill Gajeel, Wendy, and Lucy, someone caught it and deflected it into the sky, much to Hades' shock. That someone turned out to be Natsu, who stood before his fallen guildmates, bangs covering his eyes, his right arm still raised high in the air. The Dragon Slayer clenched his fist and all of a sudden, an aura of combined fire and lightning surrounded his body, greatly increasing his magic power.

Erza raised her head from the ground, her eyes widening at the sight 0 he hasn't used both elements at once ever since the tower. And he shouldn't have.

"Stop this, Natsu!" she called out to him. "Your body won't hold it! You'll die!"

"Either I kill myself or he will." he snarled back to her, surprising her. "Whether I do it or not, the outcome is the same."

Wendy, who has never seen the form watched her friend in awe. The lightning crackling aggressively around his flames that were found terrifying by other appeared beautiful to her. "A fusion of fire and lightning…a Lightning Flame Dragon..."

Hades watched the Dragon Slayer, clearly intrigued by this phenomenon. "Two elements in one body? Even I have never heard of something like this." he said. Suddenly, his eye widened gently. "I see. You must be the one who defeated that kid, Silva. I was not aware Fairy Tail took you in."

While Hades continued to admire Natsu, Erza finally broke out of her binds and jumped back, landing right next to her teammate. Shortly after Laxus broke through the floor behind them and joined them, the trio standing up to Hades. As of right now, they were the only ones capable of fighting.

"You're finally bringing that out, huh?" Laxus asked Natsu and wiped the blood off his lips. "About damn time."

"We have no more room for mistakes." said Erza and Requipped into her red pants and Benizakura. "We must put everything we've got into offense. Stay together, and-"

Her plan was interrupted by Natsu, who immediately dashed forward by himself, his speed greatly increased. His speed was great enough to catch Hades completely off guard, Natsu's fist knocking him down to the floor with just one punch. Unable to comprehend what just happened, Hades then felt his stomach being stomped, air knocked out of his lungs.

The blow somehow woke him up and soon Natsu felt an iron grip on his left hand, before being blow upwards by invisible force. Hades then motioned his fingers in the air and created weird, purple ropes in the air, that cut through and blew up upon making contact with Natsu. The Dragon Slayer fell to the ground, his body leaving a trail of smoke.

Erza and Laxus attacked next, with the redhead taking the lead. She swung her blade at Hades and gently cut his left cheek, cutting it in a failed attempt to cut his head off. The elder grabbed her by the throat once again and threw at Laxus, who simply ducked underneath her figure, which flipped in the air and landed on her feet few meters away, and nailed Hades with a nasty left uppercut to the gut, followed by high right hook.

Hades took few steps back and in the meantime, Laxus created a weapon out of his lightning.

 _ **LIGHTNING DRAGON'S HEAVENWARD HALBERD!**_

The attack made contact with Hades and blew up, lightning taking in his whole body. The elder emerged from it, his body smoking, and motioned his fingers in the air, a giant magic circle forming beneath Laxus' feet. Having recognized the spell as **Amaterasu's 100th Formula** , he immediately ran away from it, barely escaping the powerful explosion.

Natsu and Erza charged at Hades at the same time, the former's attacks causing Hades more trouble than the latter. Being exhausted and with her arsenal mostly destroyed, Erza was definitely the weakest among the trio. Still, what she lacked in magic, she made for up in tenacity.

Upon forcing Hades to block her blade with his left forearm which left a cut on it, he was fed up with the knight. He pushed Natsu away with a shockwave and punched Erza under her left ear, knocking her out. Having spotted incoming Laxus, he took Benizakura out of Erza's grasp and kicked her away, before turning to the Dragon Slayer. Hades ducked under Laxus' **Breakdown Fist** and used Erza's blade to stab through his left thigh, right in the very middle. Laxus hissed in pain, which later turned into a muffled howl, as Hades twisted the blade by 180 degrees and pulled it out, leaving Laxus incapacitated, leaving him with a gaping hole in his leg. He fell to his knees, unable to support himself and was then kicked under the chin, which blew him back.

Seeing his comrades being defeated one by one angered Natsu dearly, and as he recovered from being blown up, he attempted to charge once again, only to feel the familiar sensation of gravity trying to pin him down.

After successfully sealing away his superior to others speed, Hades continued to put pressure onto Natsu with his left hand, while conjuring a chain with his right. He grabbed Erza and Laxus and threw them right under Natsu's feet, before switching spells. Magic circles started to form above the trio one by one, with the closest one being the smallest and the rest getting bigger and bigger.

 _ **HOLY AWE!**_

Hades snapped his fingers and the magic circles began to glow, before unleashing a devastating yellow beam upon the trio, which blew up couple seconds later.

Once the dust settled, Hades was greeted by the sight of Natsu kneeling before him, injured Erza and Laxus by his side. The Dragon Slayer lifted his heavy head to look at Hades, his eyes full of hatred. _Unlike Silva, this guy has no limit to the amount of magics he knows. On top of knowing the same spells he did, he keeps pulling new shit out of his sleeve with each minute…_

Laxus tried to stand up, only to fall back to the floor, his leg failing him. "God damn it...I can't move..."

Erza, who started to come to it, grunted loudly and curled up on the floor in an attempt to stand up. To no avail.

"Struggle is a word that is often used to describe matters, that are only prolonging the inevitable. Like now." said Hades raised his hand once again, thunder crackling around it, as he concentrated his magic power in his palm. "But do not worry, for your struggle is about to end, Fairy Tail. You have done well, and so did Makarov. You have exceeded my expectations. Now rest, and watch as I complete the Grand World of Magic from hell."

Laxus chuckled gently under his nose. "Well, no one can accuse us of not trying." he said. Erza grit her teeth in frustration, her fists clenching the debris into her hands. He was right – it was over.

"But I'm not done trying just yet." declared the Dragon Slayer and turned to Natsu. "Can you move?" he asked him.

Natsu looked at him funny, but nodded nonetheless. That pleased Laxus. "All right. Don't fuck this up."

Just when Hades unleashed his spell, Laxus grabbed Natsu's wrist. A second later the trio was blown up, the ship splitting in two from the explosion. Fairy Tail's half has started to slowly start falling to the ground.

Hades closed his eye and gently lowered his head, his personal attempt to give his respects to the guild he once called home. Suddenly, he felt magic surging in the air from where Fairy Tail's corpses should be, and soon after the dust was cleared, revealing standing Natsu, lightning surging through his body, his right arm he used to stop the spell still extended before his chest. His jacket was gone and his scarf slowly slid off his neck, before falling onto the ground. Bangs were covering his eyes and his fist was shaking.

"What?!" questioned Hades in shock. "How could this happen? None of them should be able to have enough strength to cancel that out!" His eyes then shifted to Laxus, who stared at him with an exhausted grin glued to his face, the same kind of lightning crackling around him as well. Realisation slowly descended onto the elder.

Natsu grit his teeth and retracted his fist back, hos body shaking gently. "Why….to me?" he choked out through his teeth. "Why do you all put so much trust in me?"

Laxus snorted in amusement. "Honestly? Our magics are compatible, and you've eaten my magic once already." he replied shortly. "But to answer your question...it doesn't matter where you come from, or what your background is. As soon as you dose that mark, you're one of us. It doesn't matter who finishes him off as long as it's someone with the guild's mark. You're one of us, Natsu, so take my magic and kick this bastard's ass. Make him pay for what he's done, a hundred times fold."

Natsu grit his teeth in frustration. Damn them all, placing their ideals and beliefs on his back against his will, making the load heavier with each day. He would make sure to let them have a piece of his mind later. But now was not the time for that.

With Gildarts' words echoing in his mind, Natsu wiped his mouth with his wrist and walked up to the front. "Yeah." was all he said before unleashing his newly acquired magic.

A giant tower of flames formed where he stood, the temperature on the ship increasing massively. Natu glued his eyes in Hades, who carefully watched the Dragon Slayer, his eye slowly widening in pure shock.

Natsu's body started to change. His bared fangs have grown longer and sharper, so did his nails. His onyx eyes were now red, his pupils turning into slits. Skin colored scales have started to form on his hands, forearms, and face, and his magic power spiked higher than ever before.

"To think I would ever get a chance to see it with my own eyes." said Hades in awe. "The ultimate form of Dragon Slaying Magic...Dragon Force!"

He didn't get to admire for too long, as he soon found his face being smashed by a nasty right straight that blew him back and made him crash into debris.

Natsu retracted his fist back and stared the downed elder down. He'd finally decided where to aim all of his pent up anger and stress. And it was all about to explode.

"A hundred times fold." repeated Natsu with a low growl in his face.

 **End of Chapter 30. To be continued in Chapter 31: Bloody Dawn.**

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one will be the finale of Tenrou Island Arc.**

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 **Thank you and see you next time!**


	32. Bloody Dawn

**Hello and welcome to the finale of Tenrou Island Arc. I know this chapter is late but 1. it's 15k long, 2. I am in Sweden with my girlfriend(Julia I love youuu) and 3. I had some issues with writing it.**

 **I know this arc had its ups and downs, therefore I promise you that the next one will be much, much better., I am sure you will love it.**

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 **I hope you enjoy the chapter. Read away!**

* * *

Lisanna took the cloth off her sister's forehead and dipped it in water, before squeezing the excess out and putting it back in its place. She knew it didn't do anything major, but if she could take away at least a small bit of discomfort, she'd do it with pleasure. She wiped her forehead and sighed tiredly again. She was restless and extremely worried.

It has been almost an hour since the vanguard left to face the last remaining enemy, Hades. So far their only updates were sudden rains of magic power and earthquakes that could have been caused by anyone present on the ship.

Freed and Bickslow, who were in charge of covering the ground could not stop themselves from taking short peeks in the ship's direction, worried just like Lisanna.

Levy, who was helping Lisanna out with the wounded took the cloth from the girl and cleaned it in fresh water, sighing as she did so.

"I can't sit straight." she admitted with a sad smile and cleaned Elfman's forehead. "I just can't shake this bad feeling off."

Lisanna nodded. "Me too."

Cana, who was quietly sipping her bottle of booze in the corner, stood up and threw it away. She didn't feel like drinking her sorrows. "I'm going to find Gildarts." she announced.

Freed immediately turned to her and raised his hand. "You can't. I know how you feel, but we mustn't split up. Please, be patient. Knowing him he is well and safe. He will probably come here very soon."

The brunette bit her lip and sighed through her nose. "Fine." she said and joined the girl, grabbing another cloth from them. "How are they?" she asked Lisanna and replaced Makarov's cloth.

"Stable. They had a fever, but I think we've finally knocked it down a notch." she replied and looked into her sister's face. "All of them have used a big chunk of their magic, so that's holding their recovery back. Wendy cannot restore magic power, so she did what she could."

Cana sighed. "Yeah, I think we're all running on fumes, one way or another. I still can't believe those guys had enough strength to go pick another fight." she chuckled and pointed in the ship's direction with her thumb.

"This is not the time to make jokes." reminded her Levy.

"Well, if they fail, then this might be the last chance to have a laugh. Might as well use it now." retorted the brunette and shrugged.

Levy bit her lip but did not say anything. This must have been Cana's way of dealing with the weight of the situation they were in.

"Hey, check this out!" yelled someone all of a sudden. This someone turned out to be Bickslow, who was several meters away from the camp. The girls ran out of the tent and looked at him. He was pointing at something in the distance. The ground beneath their feet has slowly started to shake and as the girls looked at where his finger pointed at, they all felt their eyes widen in pure shock.

The Tenrou Tree was slowly but surely returning to its original state. The upper half of the trunk was slowly levitating upwards, pieces of wood flying back to their original place, giving it a feeling of watching a movie in reverse.

"What the hell..." frowned Cana.

Freed, who was just as confused, walked up to the girls. "This is not the magic of someone from our guild. Who and why would they do this?"

"Guys..." began Lisanna and looked at her hands, which she was now repeatedly clenching and relaxing. "Is it just me or is our magic coming back?"

Everyone looked at her in shock and focused on their bodies. She was right - their magic was coming back to them along with the progression of the Tree's revival.

"Well, now I've seen everything." commented Bickslow and scratched the back of his head, as he watched the tree put itself back together with the rest.

"Whoever that is, they are doing us a great favor." stated Freed. He dropped his usually suspicious thoughts - they needed this boost. Boost of both magic and hope.

"I bet this will help the injured recover sooner." smiled Cana and patted Lisanna on the shoulder reassuringly. The girl smiled gratefully and nodded.

Behind them, in the tent, Mirajane grunted and turned in her bed, the magic boost already doing wonders to her battered body. Right next to her laid Makarov, whose fingers gently moved on his bed, which soon turned into is right fist clenching itself gently.

Several kilometers away, Ultear was standing by the very base of the Tree, her arms raised. She was panting heavily, but still continued to pour her magic into the spell, which was responsible for the Tree's restoration.

The woman raised her head and regained her focus. "Make up for my past...like hell I can do that. Even if I do only good things from now on, that will mean nothing to those who have been hurt by me in the past. But...if I can save lives by doing one good deed...then I will do it. If I can at least try to be a person like my mother, I will do it. As many times as I can. I will stand up and walk forward, until my legs give out. This will be my salvation." she whispered and picked up the spell's pace.

In the distance, Meredy listened to her surrogate mother's words, her back planted against a tree trunk, her face puzzled and unsure of what to do. She bit her lip and slid down the tree, mixed thoughts racing in her head.

What was she supposed to do?

* * *

Hades slowly stood up from the ground and wiped his left cheek, Natsu still piercing him with his glare. "This magic...how truly intriguing." commented the elder under his mustache.

Erza blinked slowly in awe. She couldn't see anything. Was this the power of Dragon Force?

"Look." said Laxusand pointed with his finger. Having followed it, Erza felt her eyes widen. The Tenrou Tree was putting itself back together. "How could this be?" she whispered.

Natsu gently shifted his right foot to the side. Hades blinked and a split second later felt his eye widen in shock, before quickly turning his head around. In a blink of an eye Natsu managed to get behind his back, a feat never achieved by anyone who stood in Grimoire Master's way. _He's gotten even faster?!_

Natsu clenched his right fist and struck Hades right in the left cheekbone, smashing the elder's face into the ground, his head and shoulders buried in the floor, his legs sticking out like a carrot ready to pluck out of the soil. He then flexed his left leg and kicked Hades in the gut, breaking him out of his prison and forcing him to fly through the floor across the hall, pieces of wood and metal flying everywhere.

Hades rolled on the ground and pushed the floor with his hands to launch himself in the air, a giant hand made out of flames crashing from underneath the floor he was rolling on just a moment ago. He canceled it out with a spell and landed, finally regained his footing, immediately snapping his head back to Natsu, who was already right in front of his face. Hades moved his body to the left and dodged the Dragon Slayer's charge, countering him with a palm strike to his stomach, a strike that carried a binding spell similar to the one he used on Erza.

Natsu flipped in the air and landed safely on the ground, and when Hades spotted his figure, he was up for a surprise. The strike that was meant to reach his stomach was successfully blocked with his left elbow, yellow letters spreading across the arm. Natsu raised it and set it ablaze, the fire purging the spell away.

Hades whistled and caressed his beard. "I see. Your already enhanced senses must have been brought to an even higher level, one that when combined with this magic power makes you a force to be reckoned with." he analised. "Makarov truly has a good eye when it comes to his offspring. Perhaps letting loose once in a while wouldn't be that bad of an idea." he said and increased his magic power even further, which when combined with Natsu's was truly unbearable to endure.

Their combined magic started to alter the weather itself, lightning striking down around them with huge ferocity. The air was so heavy that the already downed Fairy Tail was being grinded into the ground, their lungs being squeezed, leaving them with barely anything to breathe with. Wendy was long unconscious, with Lucy hanging on to the last bits of her consciousness just a feet away from her.

Erza was forced to Requip out of her armor to avoid being burned by molten metal. She gently raised her head and watched the battle anxiously, at the same time trying to muster the strength needed to stand up and do something other than watching.

"Have faith in him." Laxus told her firmly. "He knows what he has to do. Right now he's our only hope. If he falls, it's all over. He knows that. So do the one thing you're still capable of and trust him."

All of a sudden Hades raised the index and middle fingers of his right hand, an explosion erupting under Natsu's feet. The Dragon Slayer moved out of the way just in time and dashed to the right, using the smoke created by the explosion to hide from his opponent- Knowing well where he was, Natsu dashed through the smoke but felt his senses crying out just as he entered the smoke. He quickly bent his knees and jumped upwards just in time to avoid being taken by yet another **Amaterasu Formula**.

He landed few meters away from the spell and charged again, too fast for the elder to keep up with once again. Despite his attempts, Hades felt his ribs being bashed in by a kick that sent him flying. He quickly regained contact with the floor and tried to unleash a spell on Natsu, who had already caught up to him.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S PURGATORY!**_

The elder was swallowed by flames that came out of Natsu's hands, which were currently on his chest. Hades quickly jumped out of the flames and conjured a chain before throwing it at Natsu, who sidestepped to his left and grabbed it. He then pulled on it and forced Hades to fly in his direction, blasting him with yet another pointblank torrent of flames, this time from only one hand.

But they never reached their target. Hades managed to raise his left hand just in time to create a magic circle that protected him from the attack, the flames spilling to the sides, unable to pierce through. Seeing this, Natsu let go of the chain and clenched his left fist, only to then smash it into the circle with all his might, a giant explosion erupting where they stood.

Fairy Tail was forced to stay on the ground and defend themselves from the waves of wind, magic power, flames and pieces of debris. Watching was the only thing they could do, despite their freshly regained portion of magic power. Gray. who had awakened from his beating, was now groaning in pain as he tried to adjust himself on the floor.

With the smoke coming down, Erza was met with the sight of Natsu and Hades being locked in a power struggle. Hades' right hand was wrapped around Natsu's left wrist, his fist mere centimeters away from the elder's face after breaking through the magic circle. Their remaining hands were grabbing one another, their fingers crossed.

Floor beneath their feet continued to break, its pieces rising up and down, making the terrain heavily uneven. Fed up with this embarrassment, Hades began to create strange signs with his and Natsu's hand, preparing a spell. Before he could use it he was nailed with a powerful kick underneath the chin, one that rocked his head like a bell. This pinched a nerve in the usually composed Master, who simply headbutted Natsu so hard the Dragon Slayer's eyes lost their focus for a split second. A moment used wisely by Hades, who punched Natsu directly in his solar plexus and blasted him away with an air current that almost knocked him off the ship.

The Dragon Slayer dug his nails into the floor and killed his momentum, stopping himself just before he fell off the ship. He quickly pulled them out and jumped to the side to avoid being impaled by a giant spear that has been Requipped by Hades. Soon more spears found their way in his direction and the Dragon Slayer dodged all of them but the last one, which he caught and threw back at its owner, who merely deflected it with a spell. Natsu then kicked the ground and dashed forward, his right fist landing right on Hades' raised left forearm. The elder then smacked the fist aside and attacked with a right palm strike that was avoided by Natsu's headslip to the right. He tried to counter with a left compact hook aimed at Hades' liver, but it was caught by the elder's left hand just before his ribs. Hades then gripped the fist tight and struck Natsu with his left elbow right under the chin and then followed by a powerful wide right hook.

Natsu's head was blown aside, blood splattering on the floor from his cut lip. Hades, however, was not happy with the strike, for just before being struck with full force, the Dragon Slayer slipped his face on the fist and nullified plenty of damage. This allowed him to keep his senses and quickly counter.

Natsu slid his chin upwards alongside Hades' still extended arm and landed a powerful right punch to the gut, one that despite being blocked with a forearm still threw the elder up in the air. Natsu then jumped to obtain higher ground and threw a kick that was blocked with the Master's left forearm. Not giving up, Natsu flexed his leg and pushed as hard as he could, successfully pushing Hades back. Turning his feet into thrusters, Natsu followed after Hades and tried to hit him with a right straight, only for Hades to step aside just in time. What he did not avoid in time, however, was a kick Natsu threw at his head at the last moment while passing him by, his left heel catching his right temple and knocking him off his feet once again.

Having landed, Hades frowned in anger. This had been dragging out for far too long. As soon as Natsu's feet touched the ground, Hades raised his left hand and aimed it at his legs, a giant magic circle forming beneath Natsu- The Dragon Slayer growled upon feeling his legs being restrained and replied by forcing his way through, with the circle gaining more and more cracks with each second. Surprised and genuinely impressed, Hades motioned with the fingers of his raised left hand and casted another spell, one that appeared in a form of a blue snake that started to wrap itself around Natsu.

Having noticed soon enough that this was also not enough, Hades casted aside his pride and used his right hand as well, using three more binding spells. Natsu's struggling body was surrounded by pieces of debris of the ship, thick, purple ice, and a magic circle that poured gravity onto him from above. All of those five spells have successfully robbed the rampaging Slayer off his speed and ability to move, which pleased Hades dearly. With Natsu being already swallowed by a giant ball of debris and with 3 other spells binding him underneath, he stopped using gravity on him and instead started to make signs to merge the remaining binds and turn them into a bomb, one that would not leave a trace of Natsu's existence.

Sensing trouble, Erza and Gray quickly started to get up, unwilling to let Hades go through with his plans. Their intentions, however, were quickly proven to be in vain.

Without any warning what so ever Natsu broke from his binds, the debris and remains of the spells blasting in all directions, the debris cutting through objects and walls like through butter. His magic power increased so much that even Hades' body has started to feel heavy and freshly recovered Erza and Gray were once again pinned to the ground.

In a deafening roar, Natsu straightened his figure and raised his head, howling into the night sky like a beast, his aura of flames growing in size, now three times as large as its original state. Lightning has started to surround it, with both elements merging, yellow and red cloak towering into the sky like a beacon.

The ship has started to catch on fire just from Natsu's magic power alone, its heat unbearable to endure. Gray helped his friends remain conscious only thanks to the iceberg he created at the last second, which he was now trying to sustain best to his ability.

Erza watched Natsu through her squinted eyes, worried beyond belief. She knew very well that his body was being torn apart at this very moment, she could hear it in his voice. His roar expressed all of the stress, anger, confusion, and frustration he held deep in his heart up until now, but it was also fueled by pain. What little recovery he had made in the past month, he has now thrown away.

Hades' eye widened in pure shock. In all his years, he's never seen anything like this. He didn't, however, let it get to his head - he was far too experienced for that. "Dragon Force combined with two elements at once? No matter how thick your skin is, your body is beyond its limits. I doubt you can even move in this state. You will soon collapse, broken by your own magic." he deduced and raised his right hand, his own magic as well.

Almost as if a trigger, Hades' voice received a reaction from Natsu. The Dragon Slayer pierced him with his glare, only to then open his mouth and start sucking his own aura in, his chest puffing itself up along with his cheeks.

A fraction of a second. That's how long it took everyone on the ship to realise what was about to happen. Hades quickly dispelled the offensive spell he was building up and raised his hands to defend himself. Gray quickly punched his palm and started to create the biggest shield that has ever come out of his hands. Laxus grabbed Erza by the back of the head and pushed it into the floor, at the same time using what remaining magic he had to protect himself and her, while turning back around to yell to the others.

"GET DOWN!"

 _ **LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Natsu released all of the magic that was stored in his body, as a gigantic torrent of flames and lightning three times the size of the one he unleashed in Tower of Heaven came out of his mouth, swallowing Hades along with the half of the ship that was behind him. The wind pressure knocked Fairy Tail off the ship, with those conscious barely holding onto the wreck with one hand, with those unconscious in the other.

The remaining half of the ship has started to melt and deform itself, steel parts becoming yellowish-red in color, their state changing from solid to liquid.

The roar has cut through the island like a laser, forcing everyone to view it. Those left by the camp could simply stare in awe, their jaws long wide open, their eyes glued to it, none of them able to look away. Gildarts, who was still resting from his battle, looked up and simply smirked under his nose at the sight. He felt proud.

Natsu continued to pump his magic into the roar for a while longer before being completely drained of magic. He snapped his mouth shut, his teeth making a sound similar to a steel trap going off. His flames have begun to extinguish and soon the gravity and temperature in the area went back to normal.

Laxus grunted under his nose and threw Gajeel onto the ship, pulling himself up a second later. The rest has also successfully made it back and only now could they finally see the aftermath.

The ship was unrecognizable. The parts that have been touched by the Roar have been completely vaporized from existence. What was not made out of something other than metal was scorched and blackened. Metal parts were bent and molten, some of them still dripping onto the floor, each drop followed by violent sizzling. The floor was so uneven and broken, that there was literally no safe space to stand on. You risked falling through at every step. Gray looked around and frowned. He never believed in it, nor did he ever give it a though, but if he were to guess, he'd say this is what Hell looked like. Lucy, who woke up just a moment ago, has also observed the ruins, scared.

Natsu stood still in his spot, panting heavily. His body was slowly going back to normal, his nails retracting and scales falling off to the ground. His eyes were barely open, his figure wobbly and barely able to sustain itself in its place. Hades was sprawled on the floor before him, his limbs thrown to the sides like a doll whose strings were cut. He was missing majority of his clothing, his pants being the only piece that was spared. His entire body was dosed with burns and missed skin in some places, his mouth wide open, his eyes rid of pupils. He was still alive, but it looked like this was the end. They have won.

Suddenly, Natsu's eyes lost their focus and he started to lean backwards, his body about to fall down. Just before this could happen, he was caught by Erza, who quickly ran up to him and wrapped her left hand around his nakle. She hissed in pain as she did so - she'd just realised her arm was badly hurt from Hades' attacks.

Struggling to pull him up, the knight felt someone put their hand on hers. To her surprise it was Gray, who was kneeling right beside her, a small smirk glued to his face. "You don't have to do it by yourself, you know. He's our teammate, too." he told her, with Lucy, who grabbed Natsu's other leg nodding from behind him.

Erza smiled and nodded and the three of them pulled Natsu back up. He opened his eyes and looked at them, before smiling weakly. "Thanks. I'm completely spent, can't even move."

Gray grinned and gently punched him in the leg. "Learn to warn us before you use that much magic. One day you will kill us." he said jokingly.

Natsu snorted quietly and immediately hissed from pain.

"It's a good thing we didn't fly away in the middle of battle." pointed out Lucy. "Do you think Lily and Carla disabled the controls?"

"Even if they didn't I doubt this thing will ever go anywhere again." said Laxus and looked around. The ship was nothing more than a wreck right now.

"The Tree is back to normal." gasped Wendy, who had just woken up. "How?"

Gray looked at the tree and grinned. "I think I might have an idea."

Everyone looked at him curious, but before anyone could ask any questions, Erza stood up. "We should go back to the camp and let everyone know what happened. We also must inform the Council of our current aituation and-"

"How utterly terrifying."

Erza's voice was killed in her throat, cold sweat covering her forehead in an instand. Her eyes widened in pure terror, just like everyone else's, as they were all robbed of the ability to breathe. Gravity increased once again and all of the colors turned dark. Erza slowly turned her neck to the right, which came with great difficulty. Before she was forced to drop to her knees she registered Hades raising himself up to a sitting position.

"For the first time in my life...I felt fear. I did not expect to get out of this alive." confessed quietly the elder and stood up, how body starting to release steam. The steam was coming out of his wounds, which were now slowly but surely closing themselves, his burns fading away and his cuts closing themselves. "You managed to break through my strongest defense spells. A truly formidable feat." chuckled Hades in an elderly manner.

"Impossible..." choked out Lucy in despair. "Was it not enough?!" She broke down.

"Is there a spell this bastard doesn't know?!" growled Laxus.

Erza clenched her teeth in fear and frustration. It was over. No one had enough strength to stand up, let alone fight.

"I do not feel hatred nor anger towards you, Dragon Slayer." stated Hades and cracked his neck, a short sigh of relief escaping his lips. "If anything, it is gratitude. I never expected to learn something new at this old age of mine. I feel more complete as both a person and a mage than ever before."

Natsu scowled and tried to raise himself up- All of his muscles cried out in pain and fatigue, his chest was throbbing and burning, almost as if someone put a melting rock inside his body. Still, he punched the floor and got himself to a sitting position, his eyes glued to Hades'.

The elder Requipped into a new set of clothes, a black cloak dosing his shoulders over a grey buttonless jacket. "Now that you have showed me what Makarov made of the guild and taught me this valuable lesson...I shall send you to the depths of darkness by using my full strength upon you." he said and grabbed his eyepatch. "Devil's Eye - activate!"

As soon as he took it off, Wendy turned to the side and vomited, with Lucy following her few seconds later. Hades' magic was so overwhelming that Fairy Tail was now struggling to breathe, none of them able to defend against it.

"His magic can rise even higher?!" wondered Gray.

"In order to reach the very center of magic, one must throw themselves into the depths of darkness." said Hades. "At the bottom of those depths one shall find the source of magic - the One Magic."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. One Magic...she heard this term before. But where?

"Although I am the closest human being to ever reach this depth, I am also still very far away. Even if I lived for a dozen of lifetimes I would never be able to reach it. That is why Grand Magic World must happen! Only this world, Zeref's world, can dig it out and let me attain it!" monologued Hades and spread his arms. "You, who have followed Makarov's teachings for years are not yet ready to step into this ultimate world. You shall perish tonight, and upon your ashes a new world will be born. You have my gratitude for entertaining and educating me, Fairy Tail. It is time to close your eyes now."

Nobody moved. Their thoughts were racing like crazy. They were terrified. Not that anyone could blame them. Somewhere deep in their hearts they all felt that this could be their last battle. Their last stop before lights go out. They knew it all too well. Still, none of them was ready to accept it. Not like this.

Erza tried to get up but her legs were trembling far too much. That was the case for everyone else - even Laxus tried to use the pain of his leg to break through this thick wall of fear. To no avail.

The only person who managed to do anything was Natsu. He managed to get up on his feet, his legs pathetically bent at weird angles, his knees trembling. But he had managed to do something nobody could - he stood up. He lifted his head to face Hades and to the elder's surprise, his onyx eyes have yet to go out. They were still alive.

"You still choose to struggle?" asked him Hades. "Are you not afraid?"

Natsu grinned weakly. "No, I'm shitting myself over here. Trust me, everything in my head is yelling at me for even trying to stand up."

"Then why do you choose to suffer even further?"

Natsu gently clenched his fist. "Because I've been letting fear control me for years. Letting it get to my head, make me do things that would later haunt me for a long time. Even if the odds are stacked against me, I want to win over fear this one time in my life. If I am to die, then I'd rather die on my own terms. I refuse to let fear control me again. I'd rather be proud of myself for those few minutes I have left than die as I lived. Like a caged animal. I'm sick of it."

Wendy's eyes opened. She knew exactly what Natsu was talking about, she was told by him after their trial. Now that she thought about it...she's been standing up to her fears ever since she remembered. The outcomes varied, but she always managed to pull through and win the battle inside her head. This was just another test she had to pull through.

Erza, Gray, and Lucy started to get back on their feet as well, their faces changing greatly. Their trembling was still there, but they were its masters. They had it under control.

Laxus smirked under his nose and forced himself back to his feet as well. As long as he had one leg to stand on, he'd do it.

Although this was not his intention, Natsu's words sparked fire in Fairy Tail's hearts. They sure as hell did not expect to defeat Hades, not at all. But they all agreed on one thing - if they were to die, they would rather face it with what little courage they had. They would stay true to their guild's resolve that has been passed on for generations.

Hades kept his eyes on each and every single one of them for a moment. So, they still chose to struggle. Even in death they still stayed true to fairy tales told them by Makarov? This was just sad. Still, he could not help but let this tiny flame of respect light up his long cold heart.

"Very well." he said and raised his hands. Rubble has started to rise and join together into weirdly shaped masses. "I shall grant your wish. Sleep now, Fairy-"

All of a sudden, Hades' face twisted in a painful grimace. His eyes widened drastically as he staggered in his place. He quickly raised his hand to his right eye and touched it, magic oozing out of his body at rapid rate. _Could this be...No, that's impossible! They couldn't have!_

* * *

Carla stirred and slowly opened her eyes, only yo quickly hiss in pain and grab her head. Her vision was blurry and she felt sick. It took her a few moments to remember what happened to her.

She was currently lying down on the ground, surrounded by rubble. While Pantherlily was busy fighting off the enemies, she did everything in her power to disable everything she could, hoping that one of those buttons controlled the ship. Her plans were interrupted by violent shaking that caused destruction to the room. The control and consoles were in pieces, crushed by debris and metal bars. The floor was littered with unconscious mages, some of them defeated by Lily, others by the shaking and rubble.

Carla groaned and slowly lifted herself off the floor. She had to find Lily. She didn't have to search for long, though.

"Hey. You finally awake?"

She looked up and her eyes widened at the sight. Pantherlily was currently above her, a grin glued to his face. He was seriously injured, multiple wounds covering his body. Not surprising considering how many enemies he had to fight off. But the shocking part was his sword, which was currently stuck right in the middle of a giant beating heart, blood oozing out of the pierced spot.

Grimoire Heart members started to drop their weapons to the ground one by one in shock. Some of them have already left the room and started to run away. Carla blinked slowly and finally managed to speak. "What...what have you..."

"There was too many of them and you were out of it, so I bet everything on my last card and stabbed this thing." explained the male Exceed and gripped his sword tight. "Figured this might be the power source. Whatever it is, as soon as I stabbed it they lost their will to fight. I say our job here is done."

With that said he pulled the blade out, blood pouring out of the now rapidly beating heart, its sounds terrifying. Lily jumped down next to Carla and quit his battle form, his new blade reducing in size to match his new look. He grabbed her paw and pulled her towards the exit. "Let's go. Others might need our help."

With that said the Exceeds have left the room, leaving broken and terrified Grimoire soldiers to themselves.

* * *

Hades buckled over in pain, pained grunts escaping his mouth. _My heart!_

Fairy Tail watched him in confusion, not really sure what was going on.

"Is he...in pain? Did we do something?" asked Lucy.

Erza shook her head gently. "I doubt that was us. If anything it was..."

"Carla!" beamed Wendy. "They did it!"

Hades snapped his head upwards and pierced them with his glare, once again stopping them in their tracks with fear. "The secret to my immense magic and longevity may have been destroyed...but I am still perfectly capable of disposing of all of you." he whispered menacingly and aimed his right hand at them. "Your end will not avoid you , Fairy Tail."

"Oh, it will."

Hades' right arm was swallowed by a ball of green energy, which knocked it away from the group and severely damaged it. Hades stared at his hand in shock for a moment, before lifting his eyes up, only to be shocked even more.

Erza's eyes were wide as well, as she stared blindly into the horizon. This warmth, this magic...This voice. It couldn't be...

As the knight turned around she felt all of her fears and despair dropping from her chest like a massive boulder. She allowed her knees to buckle under her weight and dropped to the ground, Lucy and Gray doing the same. It was all right. They were safe.

Hades' eyes narrowed as he clenched his injured hand. "So, with the Tree's return you have come back from the grave as well...Makarov."

Makarov Dreyar stood proudly behind his children, his coat hanging on his naked, bandaged torso. His eyes were determined and piercing, but still retained their usual kindness.

"You must have expected this." said Makarov. "I've always been a sore loser. Never knew my boundaries and when to give up. Despite that you have not finished me off and instead left me to die on my own. Looks like you have become arrogant, Master."

Makarov started to walk towards Hades. Laxus met his grandfather's eyes and nodded with a gentle smile, receiving a nod in return shortly after. Lucy and Wendy looked at one another and smiled in happiness, with Erza smirking behind them as well. Gray had a shit eating grin glued to his face and tapped unconscious Gajeel on the back, as if letting him know that it was going to be all right now.

Makarov went past everyone and met Natsu, who was still standing in the front. The tiny Master stopped for a second and put his hand on the Dragon Slayer's back. "You have done well, my children. I am sorry for making you carry this burden in my stead." he said and resumed on his way. "Rest now. I shall finish what I started."

Hades straightened himself proudly and exhaled through his nose. "So, this is what it has come to. You stand before me once again, boy. I suppose I am in no room to complain about my current condition, for your heart ceased to work last time we battled. I guess that puts us even."

Makarov scoffed. "It has always been meant to be. We may have tried to settle our score at the very beginning, but in the end we still meet once again, our feet submerged in the blood spilled by our children. We both have failed as parents."

"Do not put me on the same page as you, Makarov." warned Hades. "Ever since they were branded with my mark I have been training them to not depend on emotions, I have been telling them they will be left behind if unable to keep up. We may be standing in their blood, but the only one feeling guilt over it is you."

Makarov's eyes narrowed. "Have you always thought of them as stones ready for you to jump on if it came to that? Were they just pawns?"

"Unlike you, I have long prepared myself for the possibility of their failure." replied Hades. "I do not expect someone with your ideology to understand, but they were never disposable resources. They were soldiers I have raised to help me acquire my goal. I was long prepared to part ways with them at one point. Stop trying to patronize me, Makarov."

Makarov frowned sadly straightened his back. "Why have you fallen into darkness?" he asked quietly.

"Magic itself is darkness. In order to understand it, one must throw themselves into its depths. After I left the guild I traveled for a long time. I wanted to discover the base, the foundations on which this world has been built. And I did. It lies deep withing darkness, deep within Zeref's world. So I jumped into it and collected all the keys necessary to awaken Zeref. I was close...so close to getting there! One Magic!"

"Even if you did indeed get there, nothing would have changed." stated Makarov, much to Hades' surprise. "If magic is darkness, then so be it. I cannot change that. If it's light, I will accept it as well. It can be yellow, red, black, blue, darkness, light, even an item - but it's alive. Magic changes with its times, its use varies from era it is used in. It adapts alongside humanity, it adapts to an individual's wishes. Even if you did in fact attain your goal, it would be just another change in its nature. One that cost many lives, one that was forcefully changed. It's just one of the endless possible changes. You are the one who taught me that, old friend."

"I have long abandoned these opinions." stated Hades. "You are basing your beliefs on an outdated way of thinking. I do not think I will be able to make you see the truth. Talking is pointless."

With that said, he raised his arms and held them in front of his chest. Makarov closed his eyes slowly and did the same. Magic power of both mages started to raise, although Hades' was no longer as high as it used to. He was heavily weakened. Light started to emerge from their hands, dark purple in Hades' and green in Makarov's.

"Do you truly possess the will to go through with this spell, Makarov?" taunted Hades. "Does your heart truly see me as an enemy?"

"My heart is no longer conflicted." replied Makarov. "I have finally realised what needs to be done. This spell may be aimed at your flesh, but it is not intended to who you were, but who you are now. I have finally managed to realise that."

Hades released an impressed and somewhat proud noise. "Let us see, then. Let us see whose resolve is stronger!"

Both elders counted down from three and clapped their hands at the same time. Green and purple lights collided, blinding everyone present at the scene.

 _ **GRIMOIRE LAW!**_

 _ **FAIRY LAW!**_

Immense warmth swallowed Erza and the others, blinding them in the process. Magic filled the air, making it hard to breathe. After what felt like years, the light has finally subdued. Dust was raised high in the air and upon settling down, Erza felt her eyes widen.

Both elders were still standing in their positions, their hands still joined before their chests. They were both quiet and immobile. After a short while Hades started to stir, only to drop to his knees a second later. His hands slowly dropped to his sides, his body tilting itself to his left. Grimoire Heart's Master fell to the ground onto his left side, his wide, shocked eyes glued to Makarov, who released a loud sigh and relaxed his hands. He did not fall. He remained on his feet. He was victorious.

The tiny mage stared his fallen predecessor down with sad eyes and as the first beams of sun peeked through the dark, night clouds, he spoke out.

"It appears that, without even realising it...your heart was not as prepared as you thought it to be." he said quietly. "My resolve was stronger...Master."

Lucy hugged Wendy so hard the girl thought she was going to pass out. Gray and Laxus smirked and fistbumped each other. Erza smiled dearly and walked up to Natsu, who has finally allowed himself to drop to his knees. She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. He looked her in the eye and noticed her soft smile and eyes. They soothed him. Realising that it was finally over and he could let it go, he smiled and soon passed out, his head falling on her chest. She didn't mind. Even if she wanted to throw him off, she lacked strength to do so. Instead she gently put her hand on the back of his head and caressed his hair.

"Master!"

The short moment of peace was interrupted by Freed and Bickslow, followed by Levy and Cana. Having noticed Makarov sneaked out of the camp they rushed into the wilds to look for him.

"There you are!" wheezed out Cana and put her hands on her knees to catch her breath. "We've been looking for you everywhere!

Makarov scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Sorry! That was careless of me!"

Freed sighed in relief and noticed the vanguard. "What the...You are all seriously injured! Laxus, your leg! And Gajeel...is he still alive?!"

Upon hearing his name, Levy cut through the wreck and ran up to the Dragon Slayer, who was still unconscious. "Gajeel! What happened to him?!"

Lucy pushed Gray away from the man and started to calmly explain what happened, with Wendy backing her up. The Maker shook his head and walked away. He walked up to Natsu and Erza and squatted before them. "Need a hand?" he asked and extended his hand in the redhead's direction.

Erza blinked and smiled, gently nodding. She let him grab Natsu's other side and get him on his feet.

"How much do you want to bet he will sleep for at least a week?" he asked her.

Erza laughed gently. "Nothing. Why would I agree to a bet I am bound to lose from the very beginning?"

Gray laughed and the two of them gently carried Natsu to the rest of the group.

Makarov watched his children talk and laugh, their nightmare over. Just 15 minutes ago they were all full of despair and fear, but now it was all gone. Just like that.

"Finish me."

Makarov's eyes narrowed as he gently turned to face Hades, who was now on his back, staring at the sky. "Finish me, Makarov."

"You of all people should know I will not do that." said Makarov. "I am granting you an escape from this island. Gather your people and leave. Do not stand on our path ever again."

Hades laughed weakly. "You are repeating the very same mistake that brought my downfall. If you let me go, I will come back. I will destroy your guild."

"No, you will not." cut him off the Master. "Even if you come back after I am long gone, you will be stopped. Even if I have long stopped going forward, my kids will not. One day they will become powerful, as well as kind enough to stop you in my stead. Their wings have yet to fully spread. As long as they are around, Fairy Tail will always prevail. Even if you destroy our guild, kill our members...as long as the guild's ideology lives on, there will always be someone to stop you. This is yet another lesson I was taught by you."

With that said, Makarov walked away. Hades simply stared into the sky, before closing his eyes. He could not stop the gentle smirk that formed on his lips.

Looks like he still had more room for growth as well.

* * *

 **December 30th X784, Tenrou Island**

With the battle over and the enemy successfully driven away from the island, Fairy Tail could fully focus on treating their wounded and fixing their remaining issues. Makarov managed to get his hands on a lacrima brought by Mest and let the Council know what he thought of them and their idea of nuking the island. With the threat of Grimoire Heart resolved and Zeref disappearing from the island, the Council backed down from their decision.

As promised, Makarov allowed Grimoire Heart to peacefully leave the island and collect their dead. Although Azuma's body could not be moved from its place after turning into a tree, Kain Hikaru, who died from the wounds he received from Natsu, was taken away by Grimoire's troops under the command of Rustyrose. Zancrow took care of Kawazu, Yomazu, and Rica's bodies, much to his annoyance.

Meredy and Ultear met up with Gray, who made them a boat and told them to leave the island in it.

"I know it's scorching outside, but I think with your magic you can keep it in one piece." he told them as he tapped his work. "It should last you until the shore."

Ultear nodded gently, her face puzzled. Meredy stood several meters away from her, as she hugged herself, unsure of what to do. Noticing this, Gray sighed and walked up to his Master's daughter. "I don't know what the deal between the two of you is, but you should talk to her. Get emotional if you have to. Don't leave things the way they are, alright?"

Ultear nodded gently and extended her hand to him. "This is farewell, Gray. Thank you. For everything." she smiled.

He smiled as well and took her hand. "The others would like to meet you, so come by one day if you can. I've told them you restored the tree, so they won't attack you on sight." he grinned.

Ultear bit her lip. She still did not feel well with being...thanked. With people showing her gratitude. "I will." she said and got in the boat. "Come, Meredy. There's...something I have to tell you."

The girl nodded in silence and passed Gray by. As she did, she stopped by for a second. "I'm sorry." she said quietly and got in the boat.

Not entirely sure what she felt sorry for, Gray simply shrugged and watched the two of them push away from the shore. He waved gently and watched them until they became a small dot in the horizon, before stretching his arms and sighing in relief. "Well, better go see the others."

Erza, Lucy, Wendy and Laxus were among those, whose injuries were not severe. Although they had bruises and in Laxus' case stab wounds, their life was not in danger. They all settled in with some ice and bandages, as well as stitches.

Gajeel and Natsu, on the other hand, were a different matter. Although Wendy had managed to successfully put Gajeel back together and apply certain oils to help him regrow his missing skin, Natsu was a much different case. His outside wounds were not that serious, but his inside was a completely different matter.

In order to increase his chances of recovery, Erza told Wendy everything she knew about his injured magic container. Neither of them knew what the current damage was, but his pained groans and stirring spoke for themselves.

"I don't think there is anything else I can do for him." Wendy sadly shook her head. She tried to use her magic in the place of where his container was placed, but she did not know whether it even worked. "We'll have to get help once we get back home. I cannot deal with this on my own."

Erza put her hand on her head reassuringly. "You did great, no one blames you for this. Thank you." she said with a smile. She then looked over at Natsu and smiled at him. She put her hand on his chest gently, almost as if to assure him she was there. "Thank you." she whispered to him.

"Oh, there you guys are."

Erza snapped her hand back upon hearing Gildarts' voice, who has just entered the tent. He laughed at her shyness and waved apologetically. "Sorry for interrupting. I was looking for you guys."

Erza calmed down and moved over to make a seat for him. "It's good to see you back. Even if you're not in one piece." she added after examining his injuries.

"Don't worry about it." he waved his healthy hand.

"You said you were looking for us?"

"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to see you guys and say something." he snapped his fingers. He then put his hand on Erza's head and smiled. "Well done. All of you."

Erza blinked in surprise, but it soon gave in to a smile. He always used to pet them on the head and praised them if they made him proud. Looks like even with all of them being adults he still kept this habit. Although she'd never admit it, it felt good to feel like a kid again, even if only for a minute.

"Thank you." she smiled. "Although if it hadn't been for Master..."

"I know, I've heard." he interrupted her. "But you still stood up to that monster and gave it your all. I'm proud of you all."

The redhead blushed a little and looked away, much to the man's amusement.

Mirajane, who was finally awake, was now sitting in her bed, scowl glued to her face. She kept staring at her hands and ignored everyone who tried to talk to her. Lisanna gently sat down next to her and shyly shifted a bowl of soup in her direction. "Here, Mira. You have to-"

The bowl was knocked out of her hands by Mirajane, who simply grabbed the girl and pulled her in for a hug. She held the back of her head with her left hand, and with her right she grabbed sleeping Elfman by the shoulder. "I can't go on like this anymore. At this rate, I will lose you..." she whispered into her younger sister's ear.

Lisanna was shocked. Her eyes teared up and she raised her arms to hug her sister back. "Let's get stronger. Let's all get stronger, together." she said. Mira sniffed and nodded. Things would change upon their return home

Lucy took a deep breath and pulled the key out, cutting the air with it a second later. Soon its spirit materialised, Capricorn's sunglasses glowing in the sun.

"My Lady." he bowed. "How may I serve you?"

Lucy got flustered and waved her hands in front of her chest. "No, you don't need to be so formal! Just Lucy is fine!"

The spirit straightened his back and shook his head. "It is only natural I refer to the heir of Heartfillia family as it is expected. I have been in your family's care for generations."

Lucy sighed in defeat. "Okay, then." she then beamed up. "I summoned you to apologize for not summoning you sooner. I didn't really have a chance to do it."

Capricorn smiled and shook his head. "There is no need. Patience runs in my blood. As long as my key is in the right hands, I can wait as long as it takes."

"Thank you." smiled the blonde. "I would like to form the contract now, if that's okay with you."

"There will be no need for that." stated the spirit, much to Lucy's confusion. "The contract has been made the moment my key fell into your hands. I have been yours to command ever since my battle with Leo." he then bowed once again. "My life is in your hands, Miss Lucy."

Lucy blushed and scratched her cheek, but smiled nonetheless. "Thank you, Capricorn."

With the corner of her eye, Lucy spotted a familiar head of brown hair. She excused Capricorn for a moment and ran up to Cana, who was awkwardly walking around the camp. "Cana!"'

The brunette snapped out and looked at Lucy, who ran up to her and snatched her hand. "What is it?"

Lucy grinned. "You've got business to attend to, remember?"

It took her a second, but Cana's eyes widened in shock. "No way! I can't do it! You won't make me do it!"

Lucy's grin turned into a demonic smirk. "Capricorn!" she called.

The spirit ran up to her and bowed. "You called, my lady?"

"There's something I need your help with. Could you help me escort Cana somewhere?"

"As you wish."

Cana could only scream and try to force her way out of being dragged by the arms against her will, with Lucy and Capricorn pulling her towards the forest.

Gildarts was sitting on the ground, his annoyed eyes glued to his injured hand. Although she almost fainted at the sight, Wendy managed to put his fingers back together and secured them in place with pieces of wood, which were now hidden under a giant cocoon of bandages.

"This was my drinking hand." he sighed sadly under his nose.

Laxus, who was eating his soup next to him arched an eyebrow from above his bowl and swallowed. "Is your prosthetic so bad you can't even hold a mug?"

Gildarts laughed loudly. "No, I've never tried using it that way." he said with a smile. "But I know it can do this."

Laxus barely avoided a punch thrown at his head, his soup spilling onto his lap. "Watch it old man!" he growled.

"Wanna go, punk?" taunted Gildarts. "Hold on, let me find you a wheelchair."

"You son of a-"

"Gildarts!"

Just before they could start their brawl they were interrupted by Lucy, with Cana standing by her side. The brunette looked nervous, uncomfortable even.

"On second thought, nevermind." she said and pulled Lucy by the sleeve. "I can't do it, Lucy!"

"You can't chicken out now!" hissed Lucy and pulled her back.

"I'm not! You forced me to do it! I'm not ready!"

"You are, you just have to do it!"

As the two were whispering, Laxus scoffed and grabbed his crutches. "This is stupid. I'm out."

"Watch for stones, we don't want you to trip now, do we?" called after him Gildarts and threw a rock under his feet which was kicked away by the irritated Dragon Slayer. The Crush mage laughed and patiently waited for the girls to come to terms with their business.

Fed up with her friend, Lucy pushed Cana forward and ran away, leaving the two of them alone. Cana's face was pale.

"Well, go on. What is it you want with me?" asked her the man with a smile.

Cana gulped loudly and took a deep breath. Lucy was right, she had nothing to fear.

"When I joined the guild all these years ago..." she started shyly. "I did it to find someone. To find my...dad."

"Oh yeah, Master did mention that." nodded slowly Gildarts. "Did you find him?"

Cana paled even more. Cold sweat ran down her face. After a while, she nodded.

"That's great! Who's the lucky fellow?" he asked curiously.

Cana mouthed something, but it was so quiet he couldn't make what it was.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Cana sucked air through her teeth and closed her eyes. She then opened them and repeated the word.

"You."

Gildarts simply continued to smile at her, her answer sinking in very slowly. He blinked slowly once. Twice. Thrice. "What?"

"My father...is you, Gildarts." she said shyly. "I've wanted to tell you for years, but...an opportunity never came. I wanted to do it after passing the S-Class exam, but I kept failing, so...I kept it in. Until now, that is." she scratched the back of her head and laughed weakly.

Gildarts just stared at her, dumbstruck. He lowered his head and bit his lip gently. "Your mother...what was the name of your mother?"

Cana looked at him for a moment. Of course someone like him would not know which woman he had a kid with. She wouldn't be surprised if sheif she had half-siblings.

"Cornelia." she said quietly.

As soon as the name escaped her lips, Gildarts shot up and threw himself at her in a powerful hug. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her against his chest, his nose buried in the top of her head. "Of course it was her. Those eyes...I could never forget them." he mumbled into her hair and caressed the back of her head.

Cana was shocked. She never expected such a reaction.

"Cornelia was my one and only wife. I loved her more than the world itself, but I have also neglected her. I was too busy with work and so she left me. I never held it against her. To think she left with a child in her belly..." he mumbled and hugged her even tighter.

Cana felt weight dropping off her chest at rapid speed. She smiled against his chest and hugged him back. "You're taking this much better than I thought you would." she joked.

He laughed. "Well, not always do you find out you have a badass for a daughter."

Cana sighed in embarrassment and tried to push him away, but he didn't let her. His laughter died out and he clutched her even stronger. "I'm sorry you were alone for so long. I should have asked you about it sooner. I always thought you looked familiar...but I simply shrugged it off. No more. I'm not asking you to live with me, or spend every moment of your day by my side. Just...grant me the right to love you and try to make up for all those years. That is all I ask for."

Cana smiled and felt her eyes tear up. "Permission granted. I do have to warn you - my expectations are quite high...dad."

Gildarts smiled proudly and sighed through his nose. He felt like a piece of him he didn't even know was lost has returned.

Lucy, who was listening to their talk from behind the trees sniffed and wiped her nose, a happy smile glued to her face. Unbeknownst to her, the scene was seen by one more person. A young girl with long pale blond hair.

* * *

 **Grimoire Heart's Escape Ship**

Hades stared at his bandaged hand and frowned. He was currently sitting in the throne room of the ship, which was put back together by Rustyrose and his magic. Zancrow and Rustyrose sat together with him, their injuries also patched up. Their mood was sour to say the least.

"I can't believe I lost to that Dragon Hunter." hissed Zancrow through his teeth. "Losing to Fairy Tail of all people...What an embarrassment."

"Be quiet, Zancrow." warned him Rustyrose. "Master Hades is in a very foul mood. Unless you want to be killed, do not speak."

The God Slayer clicked his tongue but went quiet. Rusty sighed and clutched his face with his hand. "We were so close! So close to the Grand Magic World! Zeref was right in front of us!"

Hades said nothing. His head was too busy to pay attention to his underlings.

"It is because of people like you that I have turned out like this."

The Kin snapped to their feet in an instant, as a strange voice spoke out from the shadows. Hades slowly looked up, not surprised at all.

"It is your evil thoughts and intents that have summoned Acnologia upon this land."

As soon as the voice's owner stepped out of the shadows, Zancrow and Rusty dropped to their knees in shock and horror. Hades felt his eyes widen in shock, as he slowly stood up from his seat.

The voice belonged to none other than Zeref, who was slowly strolling towards them, his step carefree and relaxed.

"Zeref!" exclaimed the elder. "The Black Wizard himself! But...how...why are you on my ship?!"

Zeref arched an eyebrow. "To leave this island, obviously. I have spent years in solitude on that island, but it appears that I am once again forced to interact with humans." he explained, putting a lot of pressure on the second half of the sentence.

Hades' hands were shaking. "The Black Wizard...right in front of my eyes..." he then smiled like a madman and turned to his underlings. "Quick, the keys! Bring me the keys!"

Zancrow could only raise his head a little. "We...can't move." he grunted, with Rustyrose nodding weakly beside him.

"There will be no need for keys of any sort." stated Zeref loudly. "I am awake. I have never been asleep."

Hades' face dropped. "What?"

"Tell me something." began Zeref. "I am by all means in no place to judge you, but many people lost their lives in your pursuit of the keys, am I right? People paid the ultimate price just so you could get your hands on those. It really makes me sad...and angry. Those keys have always been a myth, a legend created and spread by third-rate Zeref worshippers, who never gave a second thought to do some proper research on the person they devoted their lives to."

Hades punched his throne, its armrest falling off. "No! I did my research! The keys are necessary to awaken your true magic! Your true form! What you are right now is just-"

"I really hate repeating myself." Zeref's voice echoed dangerously, wind suddenly appearing inside the closed ship. Gravity in the room increased for just a brief moment, but it was just enough to knock Zancrow and Rusty unconscious and force Hades to sit back down in his chair, terrified. It took only one glimpse at Zeref's magic, but it was enough for the elder to feel like a defenseless child.

"The keys are an old fable. They were never real to begin with. I have been awake all this time. The person standing before you is the real Black Wizard Zeref." said the man once again.

Hades was lost for words. "But...how is this possible? I saw you being tricked and defeated by my underling! Someone of your caliber would never have fallen for such a childish trick!"

"The person who was bested by that woman was not the person who is standing before you at this very moment." explained Zeref. "Back then that truly was my real power. But, as you can tell, that is no longer the case."

The ship began to creak, cracks appearing in the walls and floor. Zeref's magic was enormous, but stable. It created an illusion of filling the room like a balloon, putting constant pressure, but keeping it on a non-aggressive level.

"Despite your age you look no older than my youngest underling..." whispered Hades. "How?"

Zeref smiled sadly. "Would you like to learn the secret of my immortality, you poor fool?"

Having received a nod, Zeref told him the story. "Over 400 years I have seen countless battles and deaths. They started to become something...daily, for me. Like breathing. But one day, I was shown just how valuable life truly was. That was also the day I became cursed. From that day, the more precious I find human life to be, the more of it I steal. To stop killing people, I must forget the weight that is a human life."

"Are you saying you are constantly battling the weight of human lives?" asked Hades.

Zeref nodded. "That is correct. That is why my magic never works as I want it to. I can never control it. But, if I _forget_ the weight of life...now that is a different matter."

Hades started to choke, his hands mindlessly going towards his throat, as if that would help him breathe properly. Zeref's eyes changed color from black to red, his hair being gently raised by his magic. His face, although stoic and seemingly emotionless, hid a vast ocean of anger underneath. An ocean Hades has just realised he was staring at.

"You are guilty of many crimes, Precht." he said quietly. "You are guilty of taking innocent lives in my name, of making me forget how precious human life is, of calling Acnologia onto this island, but most importantly...for being the reason this era has come to an end."

"Acnologia?! What are you talking about?!" choked out Hades.

"When exactly did I say you are permitted to speak?" Zeref's voice was cold and merciless. It pierced right through Hades' heart. making the elder terrified to the point he was incapable of further speech. "For the things I have mentioned, you shall be punished. I am going to steal from you, Precht. I am going to steal the most valuable thing a human can offer, something you have been stealing ever since you took a step towards darkness. Your life."

Hades extended his hand and tried to speak out one last time, asking Zeref to give him just one more moment to ask just one more question. Before he could open his mouth to speak out, he noticed that all the lights have gone out and he was thrown into darkness. Darkness heavier than anything he had ever seen. Just when the initial shock has worn off and his mind started to realise where it was, his eyes have started to close themselves, one final thought forming in his mind.

 _Oh. So this is what death feels like..._

Zeref closed his eyes and breathed out, as Hades' lifeless corpse fell off the throne. Magic stopped putting pressure on the room, colors returning to their original state. He started to say a small prayer for all of the people who died in pursuit of his keys, but soon stopped after hearing a sound. A sound that never failed to send a chill down his spine.

Zeref turned to the window and frowned gently. "Here he comes." he announced in a whisper.

* * *

Gajeel who has woken up quite recently was slowly trying to eat his soup. Every time he moved any part of his body it stung, so he settled in with a closed tent and a straw he slurped the dish through with. He ate it lost in his own thoughts, only to have his ears pick up something. A nostalgic sound that for a second rendered him dumbfound. He shook his head, blaming his imagination, and got back to eating, only to hear it again. This time louder.

Gajeel slowly stood up and frowned, his ears picking the sound more and more with each second. Now pissed, he walked out of his tent and wanted to find other Dragon Slayers to confirm his theory, only to be met with the sight of Wendy and Laxus staring into the skies. Wendy's face expressed hope and a small dose of fear, while Laxus' confusion. In the tent behind them, Natsu was trying to get up after being woken up, much to Erza's dismay, who started to push him down into the bed.

"What the hell?" frowned Laxus and turned to Gajeel. "You hearing that?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. It sounds like..."

"A dragon!" finished Wendy.

Lisanna looked at her funny. "A dragon? Are you sure?"

"It is." wheezed out Natsu from his bed. "But it ain't Igneel. I can tell. This one sounds more-"

"Hostile." finished Laxus.

"That's because it is."

Gildarts ran into the camp, Cana dragged behind him by his hand, much to her annoyance. Makarov has also returned from his walk, a concerned scowl on his face. He had his suspicions. Gildarts' face was white in color, courtesy of pure fear that was filling every fiber of his being. "All of you, run." he commanded them in a quiet voice. His tone filled Fairy Tail with horror - they have never heard him this scared. "Right now. it doesn't matter where or how, split up if you have to. Just run."

"Gildarts." called to him Makarov. "Is that who I think it is?"

The man nodded slowly. Makarov closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose, before roaring on top of his lungs. "All of you, leave the island! No matter what or how, do as I say! Run away from here as far as you can! Don't look back, just-"

Makarov's order was interrupted by a deafening roar that came from behind the clouds above them. Just when everyone looked up in the sky, a dragon as black as death descended upon the island, spiking at it like a meteor. Just before it could smash into it it spread its wings and stopped just above the land, the wind created by its wings knocking everyone to the ground, trees bending as if they were made of rubber.

Its eyes were crimson red, comparable to the color of blood, that although dried out still dosed its claws. The tail resembled a giant sting, with four sharp ends that could easily cut rocks in half. Its scales were pitchblack, its skin whiteish in color, a tone comparable to that of a regular human. Steam came out of its mouth with each taken breath, as it stared Fairy Tail down from above, like a predator eyeing its prey, unsure of what to do with it just yet.

"W...what is this...thing?" choked out Lucy in terror.

"This can't be..." whispered Erza, just as shocked. She was currently helping Natsu stand, his weight on her shoulder. He stared the dragon down with a scowl, the pain he still felt making it look more like a grimace. "I knew dragons were still around." he growled. "But..."

"...This one sure as hell ain't a friendly one." finished the thought Laxus.

"It's the very same dragon I've met on my Quest last month." stated Gildarts and walked up in front of everyone. "I know what it's capable of. All of you leave this island immediately, I'll do something about it. I know how it moves, so-"

"No."

Makarov's voice was stern and loud. He threw his shirt aside and began to increase his size to match that of the dragon, who has just landed on the island, its weight causing it to shake. "You will all run away from here, right now. None of you is allowed to challenge this beast. That is an order. Run. Don't look back. Keep moving forward."

"Like hell we're gonna leave you!" roared Gray with still unconscious Juvia on his back. "We will fight!"

"Those who can still fight, prepare yourselves!" yelled Freed and pulled out his blade. "We shall hit it with everything we've got!"

"Lisanna, go to Elfman." said Mira, her body starting to glow. "I'm gonna blast this piece of-"

"I told you to run!" roared Makarov, his voice loud enough to make the Dragon Slayers grimace in pain. "That is my final order as Master! You shall all run to the ship and get away from here! Are you going to disobey my orders until the very end?!"

Fairy Tail was shocked. Final order? If this was supposed to make them more eager to listen, then he was a fool. If anything it rallied them up even more.

"Like hell we're gonna-"

Gray wanted to argue, but he was stopped by Laxus, who simply grabbed him by the collar and started to drag him towards the ship. "Enough. We're leaving. You heard him, Master's orders. Shut up and obey." he said quietly.

Gray wanted to snap on the man, but he soon felt his eyes widen in shock. Laxus was crying. He wasn't even trying to hide it - soon all could see tears flowing down his face.

Taking his tears as a sign that it truly was their only option, Fairy Tail grit her teeth in frustration and started to run, some of them sobbing. They've decided to leave Makarov by himself.

The elder smiled under his mustache and turned to the dragon, who jumped forward, almost as if trying to get to them. Makarov clenched his fist and punched the dragon right on the jaw, before wrapping his arm under its head and securing it in a choke hold. Acnologia roared and started to push, but Makarov did not move. He flexed his muscles so hard they were crying out in pain and continued to strangle the beast with everything he had.

"Like hell I'm letting you go through!" he growled. "Those are my kids behind me! I don't know what you came here for, but you will not take their lives! As long as I have limbs to move with, you will stay here!"

Acnologia's eyes narrowed. He then reached out to Makarov's right thigh and stabbed it with his claws, all five of them penetrating the elder's skin. Makarov cried out in pain but stayed on his feet, his choke hold still going strong. Suddenly the dragon pushed his claws even deeper and pulled his hand back, successfully tripping Makarov and slicing through his leg like butter. Makarov's leg was now half severed. The elder lost balance, with Acnologia's head slipping out of his grasp. The dragon raised his hand high in the air and jammed it in his left shoulder, successfully pushing him to the ground. Makarov was now being mounted by Acnologia, his mouth just in front of his face.

Although he was screaming in pain, Makarov tried his best to turn it into a laugh. He knew he was one step away from death, but he still couldn't shake this feeling of pride. Pride of himself. That he had finally acted like a true parent. He had no regrets.

Just when Acnologia opened his mouth to bite through Makarov's throat, both giants felt ground shake beneath them. Soon Acnologia found himself being risen above by giant pillars made out of the ground, all of them cut out in a shape of squares. A magic Makarov knew all too well.

"You fool!" he roared, blood spilling out of his mouth. "I told you all you run and leave me be! Why have you come back, Gildarts?!"

Gildarts, who was responsible for the attack, retracted his fist away from the ground and straightened his back with a nervous smirk. "You're not dying today, Master. No one is. I came back because you are not done yet. The guild needs you."

"I can be replaced!"

"That may be, but not yet. Besides, I'm the one who fought this thing. I know how it moves! I can't let you kick the bucket while doing something I started!"

With that said, Gildarts put his hands on the ground once again and made Acnologia fall into a giant pit, one that separated him from Makarov. "We're going home, Master!"

* * *

Fairy Tail ran forward as fast as they could, most of them sobbing and turning around. Cana was among them, as she was now greatly worried about her father. He disappeared without saying a thing, most likely because he knew he would be followed or stopped. Old fool.

She stopped running and turned around. This was spotted by Lucy and Gajeel, who also stopped.

"Cana, we must move!" Lucy called to her and pulled her by the arm.

"Don't do anything stupid, ain't no way we can fight that thing!" added Gajeel and grabbed her other arm. They were both shaken off.

"Is this really what we should be doing?" she asked in a low voice.

Spotting the commotion, the others stopped in their tracks as well, with Laxus cutting through the group to make them keep going. Erza, with Natsu sprawled on her back, has also walked up to them.

"Cana, I know how you feel, but we were given an order." reminded her Erza. "Master wouldn't want us to die. That's why he stayed behind, to make sure we can live on. We must honor his pleas and-"

"Since when were we so concerned about what old man says?" cut her sharply Cana. "Since when do we leave people behind? The guild I joined would never leave anyone behind. Even if the only thing we will witness is his dead body, we can't just leave him here!"

Silence fell as soon as she spoke out. They all felt she was right, they wanted to go back there as badly as she did. But they couldn't. Not even because of the orders or respecting Makarov's last wish. It was fear. Fear refused to let them move their feet.

Laxus took a deep breath through his nose and walked up to Cana. "I'll go back with you." he declared.

Everyone looked at him, shocked.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Levy. "Even you can't fight this thing!"

"I never said I'd fight it." replied Laxus, annoyed. "I'll make sure Cana's safe and, if needed, we will bail old man and Gildarts out. Our magics are the most useful ones for this."

Some of Fairy Tail have only now realised that the Crush mage was missing.

"If you're going, then so are we." declared Freed.

"We can't just leave you guys alone." added Lisanna. "Cana's right, itäs not in our nature to leave people behind."

"We can be chewed up by gramps later if it comes to that." spoke out Gray. "But I sure as hell am not leaving him. We will follow you regardless of what you say Laxus."

The Dragon Slayer clicked his tongue in irritation and turned around. "Those who can't keep up better stay here. We're going top speed." he said, before turning into lightning and blasting away with everyone else following him in suit.

Although it took them just few minutes to get back, to them it felt like hours. Tremors, Acnologia's roars, rains of magic power that nearly drilled them to the ground, the anxiety of what they would see once there, the small flames of regret lit up in the hearts of pretty much everyone - they all slowed time down. Still, despite all that they continued to push through, their destination closing in at last.

They spotted Laxus standing still in his spot, as he blindly stared at something, his face expressing despair. Soon, they all knew why, some of them falling to their knees at their sight.

They were greeted by Makarov's unconscious body lying in a giant crater, his tiny figure covered in blood. His bandages were torn, exposing both old and new wounds. His right leg was barely hanging by few muscle fibers and skin, a giant pool of blood forming underneath it. His chest was rising slowly every now and then, indicating he was still alive, even if only barely.

This sight was where the horrors ended for some of them. They did not dare to look anywhere else. Perhaps they refused to admit the other things happening at the time, or maybe they simply didn't notice, Makarov's state clouding their minds like a giant blindfold. Those unfortunate enough to have enough consciousness to look past Makarov were thrown into a dark ocean of despair., with Cana sinking in the fastest, as well the deepest.

Erza dropped to her knees along with Natsu, their eyes glued above Makarov. They were watching Acnologia, who was currently examining his left hand, with Gildarts being impaled on his index claw. The claw went right through his stomach, blood and insides glued to the claw, some of them falling off to the ground. The man was still alive, as he tried to free himself by weakly pushing the claw out of his body.

Having noticed the newcomers, the dragon quickly swapped his hand to the side, violently hurling the man from his claw He landed right in front of Fairy Tail, who were forced to watch the man cough up and wheeze in agony, the hole in his stomach imprinting itself on their minds.

Cana couldn't make up a single sound, silent tears flowing down her face. She blindly started to walk towards her father, only to drop to her knees by his side, too shocked to register the reality of the situation. The man opened his eyes a little and tried to reach out to her, too weak to even lift his arm up.

Levy and Lisanna both dropped to their knees, both choked by uncontrollable sobbing. Gray grit his teeth in fury so hard he cracked one of them and gently put Juvia down on the ground. Elfman clenched his fist and straightened his back, with his sister doing the same. Laxus inhaled through his nose loudly.

All of a sudden, they all roared on top of their lungs and threw themselves at the dragon, their anger and despair merging together. They have long forgotten fear, pure anger fueling their veins, making them move. Erza and the Thunder Legion have joined them shortly after, as Acnologia soon found himself being bombarded by spells of various kind, none of Fairy Tail mages holding anything back. Even Natsu, who could barely breathe with all the pain that filled his body, has managed to throw a Roar of his own. He didn't give two shits about his current condition, or that as soon as he launched the spell he lost the stamina to even stay on his knees. Seeing Makarov and Gildarts like that fueled him with pure fury, one he hasn't felt in a while.

Acnologia spread his wings and swung them, knocking all incoming spells away, their casters blown back by the sheer wind pressure. Erza rolled on the ground like a log and was forced to stab the ground with her blade to stop herself, Natsu just behind her. Gray and Laxus flew into nearby rocks, their already battle-worn bodies crying out in pain.

The dragon narrowed his eyes at the mages and flew up, seemingly leaving them alone. Cana, who didn't even register the fight, stayed by her father, her hands long wrapped around his, her eyes glued to his stomach. Wendy looked up at the dragon. "Why are you doing this?" she asked him, her voice dry and hoarse from crying. "Why are you doing this?! What is your goal?!" she roared, her pent up feelings letting go, almost as if a dam has broken somewhere inside her.

Ignoring her, Acnologia retracted his head back and opened his mouth, a ball of white light forming in his throat.

Having recognized the spell, Gajeel roared to the others. "It's a Roar! Everyone, hide!"

"We have no time, we must block it!" deduced Freed and started to write in the air. "Those who know defensive magic, please give me your strength!"

Levy quickly ran up to him, followed by Lucy who although did not know such spell was still willing to help.

Chaos broke loose. Those who have yet lost their spirit were now focusing on Freed and Levy, passing their magic on to the two. Wendy was panicking, unsure of who to tend aid to - Makarov or Gildarts. Laxus and Mirajane were still trying to stop Acnologia by force, their attempts being the only offense Fairy Tail had to offer.. The dragon replied by unleashing yet another deafening scream, one that caused pain even to those with non-enhanced senses.

Erza Requipped out of her armor, unsure of what to do. She knew trying to stop the dragon by force would not work, but she also could not heal, nor help in preparing the defensive spell. Giving too much magic to Freed and Levy would only backfire.

The island started to shake, with Äcnologia's attack becoming more and more imminent. Cursing her powerlessness, Erza clenched her fists so hard her knuckles became white.

"Erza..."

Suddenly she heard a voice behind her. As she turned around she spotted Natsu, his barely conscious eyes glued to hers. Awaiting a followup, she stared at him impatiently. But it never came.

Natsu continued to look at her with his half-open eyes, a glimpse of a smile glued to his face. He sluggishly reached out for her hand and placed his on top of it, giving it a light squeeze. Erza looked at him in confusion and slight irritation even, willing to speak out, but that plan was smothered as soon as it was born.

His eyes were so tender, so warm and…sad. His smile grew wider and finally he spoke out, and as he did, all of the sounds around them suddenly stopped being picked up by Erza's ears.

The yelling, the crying, the terrible roar trying to rupture their eardrums from above – none of it existed anymore. All Erza could hear right now were his words, and they left her stunned.

"It wasn't for long, but the time we spent together...I felt alive. More alive than anytime I can remember."

Erza blinked. What was this sensation? Despite his continuously growing smile that was clearly being forced through pain, his face looked pained, and not because of the physical discomfort. However, she could relate to him – she felt the same.

"Thank you, Erza. For showing me a better way. For teaching me how to live like a human, and not like an animal. I wouldn't have done it on my own." he said quietly, but she could hear every single syllable.

The weird sensation in her chest continued to grow, tears slowly forming in her eyes. She knew they had no way out of this. No more second, or third chances. They were seconds away from being obliterated, and this must have been the reason he was telling her this.

Natsu squeezed her hand tighter as soon as the light above their heads had started to grow even bigger, which he most likely took as end of the line.

As soon as the light had started to descend upon their heads, Erza has finally put the pieces together, the puzzle in her mind finally forming into one solid object. Something she couldn't have figured out for weeks turned out to be something so simple. With the remaining time she had left, Erza turned her hand by 180 degrees and returned Natsu's grip, their fingers crossed. She opened her mouth and tried to speak out.

As she did so, he lifted his head as high as he could and grinned, giving her the widest smile she'd ever seen on his face, and while he did so, he muttered few more words, beating her to it and stealing them right from her mouth.

The scene, along with everything that happened before, was being watched by a small girl with long pale hair, who smiled sadly and joined her hands together before her chest.

As soon as Natsu was finished, the blinding light took Tenrou Island with it, swallowing it whole.

Mest and other Councilmen could only watch in horror from the distance, some of them falling to their knees, as the island was now being obliterated by a pillar of white light, as tall as the sky itself. Zeref slowly closed his eyes and gently bowed his head, paying his respects to the guild he made so many good memories with in the past. Ultear and Meredy stared at the light in horror, with the latter's eyes becoming teary.

Once done, the light dispelled, showcasing a giant crater being put in the place of where the island used to be just a minute ago, and with the force gone, the ocean has started to slowly, but surely pour into the hole, filling the crater in and covering the tracks of the island's existence.

Just like that, the Tenrou Island and Fairy Tail were no more.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you liked it.**

 **I'd like to thank Lorgar Aurelian, who has been helping me out with this story for a year now. Some of his ideas have been found in here and he is the man who'd stop me from doing stupid shit back when I was not yet experienced. Thank you, buddy!**

 **Thank you guys for reading, too. I will see you soon!**


	33. Seven Years Later

**This chapter was originally supposed to be over 15,000 words long, but I figured you might not be in the mood for something this long.**

 **Hey guys, it's been a while. I had a very tough and tiring month, hence the late upload. I am currently fighting the terrible boss known as formalities and documents, other known as insurance I will need for my plans to move out of Poland to Sweden. As it turns out I might have to buy it, which means money. We all know how it likes me.**

 **Either way, we are entering into a new arc, one that is heavily original, so we're back to the good old early days of this story. If you disliked Tenrou, then I'm sure you will like this one.**

 **I'd like to remind you guys, that if you feel like it you can support me and my work on ko-fi. Each donation will be rewarded(if you want it to be) with something in return, be it a short story written just for you, or a colored manga page. This will not influence the status of this story, it will simply make my life easier and less miserable. Thank you for understanding.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter. Have fun!**

* * *

The dark clouds above have finally fulfilled their promise, drops of rain falling down, crashing against the umbrellas and cloaks of people gathered in the square. None of them cared, though. They were too busy cheering or shaking their heads in disapproval.

The man standing on a platform held his arms high in the air, an assuring smile glued to his face, as the people cheered him up. He looked proud of himself, irritating accomplishment written all over his face.

Out of the entire crowd, only two figures remained stoic, not moving an inch. Rain flowed down their hoods, their blue hair peeking out from under it. The younger one simply sobbed quietly, while the older one stared ahead, her eyes wide and empty.

"How did it come to this?" her voice was a whisper, one she could barely hear herself. A whisper of disbelief. Shock, as she watched the people cheer even louder at the sight of another man lighting a flag on fire. Her guild's flag.

The flag of Fairy Tail.

* * *

 **August 17th X791 Christina.**

The early sun was just starting to peek through the clouds, filling the ship's interior with pretty, orange light. One of the beams fell on the face of a young, darkskinned man with black hair, who squinted in annoyance. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt, which was slightly wrinkly, the collar uneven and messy.

"Did we really have to leave so damn early?" moaned Ren Akatsuki from behind the steering wheel.

Next to him stood a young man with dark blonde hair, who gave him a gentle, yet nasty eye.

"Stop complaining, Ren." said Hibiki and swiped a card in his Archive Magic. "If we are to do this, it has to be early."

"Geez, stop talking like that. It's not like we're doing anything secret!" laughed gently a third man, the youngest of the bunch. "After all, we're just going on vacation, are we not?"

Hibiki laughed as well. "Of course, Eve. Vacation." said Hibiki and looked at the nearby wall, a sarcastic smile on his face. "I still can't believe Master Ichiya won those tickets! With his luck!"

Eve laughed out loud. "From what I've heard, he didn't even win them. The person who won them was aiming for the first prize, so when he got the tickets instead, he put them in the hands of the person that was the closest. That would be Master."

"I still consider it an impressive feat, granted who was standing next to that gentleman." said Hibiki.

Ren yawned again, which got him an elbow to the side from Hibiki. "Focus. We still have some way ahead of us."

"I know, I know." Ren yawned again. "Rough night."

"We know." said Even and Hibiki at the same time, making Ren red on the face. "Seriously, why won't she just join our guild? She spends most of the week in our hall anyway." Eve shook his head.

"Her cousin is in Lamia, and she doesn't want to be separated from her." explained Ren, the heat on his face going down. "I support that decision."

"You might consider supporting renting a hotel room for the week as well." said Hibiki and this time it was his turn to be decked in the side, which made him laugh, with Eve joining in.

"I see your moods are high, men."

Ichiya walked into the room. His hair has gotten longer and his chest more hairy, but he remained pretty much the same as 7 years ago.

All three men straightened their back and faced him. "Welcome back, Master! Well fought!" they chanted like soldiers.

Ichiya nodded, as the door to the toilet closed a few meters behind him in the hallway. He stepped further into the room and looked out the front window. "Is our radar working as intended? Are we on the right course?" he asked.

Ren looked down and nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

Suddenly, a grey cloud appeared on the radar, or rather its outlines. The cloud was enormous, nearly covering the radar just with its fraction. This made Ren's eyes widen, and soon he snapped his head to the side, where Hibiki was. He has also picked it up. They were close.

"Master, take a look at this." said Hibiki, trying to keep his voice as casual as possible. "That's an interesting looking cloud!"

Ichiya's eyes narrowed dangerously. He walked up to the steering wheel to confirm it. Upon doing so, he gave his men a nod and walked to the center of the room. He quietly drew a square in the air with his finger and waited for Ren to pass the steering wheel to Hibiki. The man then raised his arms and locked Ichiya in a prison made out of air, its walls solid and not letting the sound escape through.

Ichiya nodded in gratitude and reached into his pocket, pulling out a battered and old lacrima. He swiped it couple times and soon it lit up, connecting to its sister. A minute later someone picked the call up, their figure dark and disfigured due to the damage.

"It's me." said Ichiya. "We've arrived at the place. As we suspected, the Ethernano in the air around the island has increased, drastically. We are about to go down and search the area. Shall we inform you of any progress we may make?"

The man remained silent for a while, before speaking out. "Do what you want.". His voice was hoarse and colorless, defeated even.

Ichiya gripped the lacrima slightly harder. "There's still hope. Please, try to be of good thought."

The man snorted. "Feel free to dig there, I've had my share. I'm glad you have hope. Someone has to. Good luck, I guess."

With that said, the man hung up, leaving concerned Ichiya alone to himself. He looked at Ren and nodded solemnly, his box of air dispelling.

"What do we do, Master?" asked Hibiki. "Shall we fly higher and see it up close? It looks pretty rare."

"Yes, we shall." nodded Ichiya. Hibiki stationed the ship directly above the island and suspended it in mid-air. The men walked out of the room and headed to the emergency room, where their boat was. The Trimens stepped into the boat while Ichiya opened the bottom of the ship and threw down a ladder. He then stepped into the boat and they soon started to go down to the ocean.

Now that they were away from the ship, Hibiki dropped the act. "Do you really think it's them?" he asked Ichiya.

The man nodded. "The Ethernano has grown incredibly strong these past days. This cannot be a coincidence. I can't tell it's the island itself, but it has to be something. We just have to look for it."

"I don't think we'll have to look too long." said Even and pointed with his finger.

The Trimens followed it and felt their eyes widen in shock. There, in the middle of the ocean, with no land whatsoever, stood a young girl with long, pale blonde hair. She was being risen up and down by the waves, a small smile on her face. It looked like she's been expecting them.

"What in the..." gasped Ichiya.

"Who are you?!" asked Hibiki. He kept his tone not hostile, but left a small note of demand in it.

The girl merely smiled wider and raised her hands. All of a sudden the ocean began to shake, waves becoming more aggressive. Water started to pour into their boat, so Ren used his magic to raise them in the air.

"What is she doing?!" yelled Eve.

"An attack?" questioned Hibiki. "No...She is…!"

Once again the Trimens felt their eyes growing big in shock and disbelief, as something started to rise up from the water. Something huge, surrounded in a giant green bubble dosed with the insignia of Fairy Tail. It didn't take them long to figure out what it was.

"Tenrou Island?!" gasped Ichiya. "Where did it come from? Did she hide it with her magic? But that..."

"...Requires magic power bigger than anything imaginable in this world." finished his thought Hibiki. Just who was this girl?

After few more minutes the island settled in, the waves becoming calm once again. There it was, Tenrou Island, just the way it was 7 years ago, with no signs of being attacked by a dragon on it.

Men stared in awe, lost for words. The girl breathed out heavily and smiled again, tilting her head to the side before turning around and walking towards the island.

Ichiya wanted to call out to her, but decided not to. Instead he looked at Ren. "Go back to the ship and land on the island! This boat may be too small! Men, follow me!"

"Yes, sir!" said the men, with Ren already climbing the ladder back to the ship. The rest of the Trimens started to eagerly row towards the island and reached it after a few minutes. They quickly discarded the boat and ran into the wilds, their hearts beating hard. They didn't have to run far.

The entire beach was littered with unconscious Fairy Tail members, some of them buried in the sand. Hibiki almost tripped over Gray, the back of his head and his legs being the only body parts that were out in the open. The Maker started to stir, senses coming back to him. He moved and soon snapped his head out of the sand, his breathing hard. He panted heavily and looked around with disbelief and confusion written all over his face. As would have anyone who was just about to die by the hand of a dragon, only to wake up somewhere else.

Hibiki beamed at the sight of Gray and stood up to his legs, before kneeling down next to him. "Gray! It's so good to see you!"

Gray looked at Hibiki, his eyes still shocked. He frowned and looked up and down, measuring him up. "Hibiki, is that you? Why do you look...older?"

Hibiki's face dropped. As Gray continued to look at him, confused, he soon started to realise something himself – he has not changed. None of them have.

Ichiya and Eve, who have tended to Lucy, Levy, Gajeel, Strauss siblings and Wendy, expressed the same worry. None of them changed, at all. As if time stopped for them seven years ago. Some of them pushed the Trimens aside and looked into the sky in search of Acnologia, still convinced the beast was lurking around and missed its initial attack.

Hibiki and Eve looked at each other in horror. To Fairy Tail, the seven year long gap was a second. As long as snapping your fingers would take.

After realising the monster was nowhere to be found, Fairy Tail collapsed and started to celebrate their survival. Elfman simply grabbed his sisters with each arm and hugged them so hard their ribs started to crack. Wendy and Levy sat down on the sand, their backs against each other, both of them crying from relief. The Thunder Legion exchanged smirks and focused on giving aid to the injured. Laxus quickly ran away from the rest, straight to a giant crater placed several meters away. He grabbed Wendy by the collar on his way and pulled her with him.

Natsu and Erza have just now started to wake up, their hands still joined. They dumbly looked around, just as confused as everyone else. Erza was quicker to deduce the situation and simply sighed through her nose in relief. The memory of what went down between her and Natsu just before the crash came back to her with full force and her face matched the color of her hair. She quickly took her hand away from his, puzzled and conflicted. Natsu simply looked at her with tired eyes and smiled under his nose.

Lucy walked up to the Trimens, still shaken and confused. "Hibiki? Eve, Mister Ichiya? What are you all doing here?" she asked them. "What happened here? Didn't we get attacked by Acnologia? When did you get here and...why are you all older?"

"Father..."

As if on cue, everyone turned around in the voice's direction, which belonged to Cana, who was still by her dying father's side, his hands in hers. Cana's voice was dead, colorless. It was also a reminder to everyone. A reminder of a tragedy they were lucky enough to forget about for those few minutes of happiness upon finding out they survived.

The sand underneath Gildarts' body was already soaking with his blood, his eyes barely open, his breathing irregular, weak and wheezy. The ripped remains of his organs and skin hanged off the hole in his torso, drops of blood dripping onto the ground from their ends.

Lucy, as well as everyone else ran up to the pair in panic. Erza helped Natsu get up and soon they joined with the others, a circle forming around Cana and her father. They could only watch as she clutched his hand in hers, tears flowing down her face like waterfalls. They didn't know what to do.

"Stop the bleeding!" yelled Mira and ripped a part of her shirt off, turning it into a rag. "We must make sure he doesn't bleed out! Damn it, where's Wendy?!"

"Laxus took her with him, he went to Master Makarov." said Erza.

"We shall tend to Master Makarov in her stead. Ren, Eve, follow me! Hibiki, stay here and try to help!" said Ichiya and ran off, already out of breath.

"The Tenrou Tree is back to normal, he's still under its protection!" declared Freed. "No one bearing our guild's mark can die here!"

"They can."

Everyone turned around, with Hibiki recognizing the girl from earlier. She stared blindly at Gildarts, sadness written all over her face.

"Tenrou Tree does not provide complete protection. If the damage is greater than the Tree's magic, death can occur." explained the girl. "Right now he is being kept alive by the Tree. His wounds are too grievous. As soon as he leaves the island, he will die. It cannot be avoided."

Although they didn't know who she was, or if she could even be trusted, her words cut deep. They all cut back to Gildarts, who merely chuckled best to his ability, blood flowing down his chin.

"Damn..." he wheezed out. "And here I thought…I still had a...chance...Looks like that...dragon...finished what he...started."

Gray and Mira dropped to their knees by his side, their eyes becoming misty.

"Seriously, old man?" asked Mira, her voice starting to break. "You're throwing jokes at your death's bed?

"Don't you dare give up." hissed Gray, tears forming in his eyes as well. "You're stronger than this!"

"Gildarts!" called Elfman, with the others doing the same soon after. His name has started to echo, his younger guildmates pleading him to keep on fighting. Instead, he smiled sadly.

"Even you brats...must be old enough to know...that it's...pointless." he whispered. "I'm a goner...and I know...it. So...let me just say my…goodbyes…and go further."

Gildarts' words cut like a sword. What little hope they had has now been extinguished, tears now openly flowing down their faces, but none of them dared to look away. They all wished to watch him until the very end, the strongest mage in Fairy Tail. Their father figure.

Wendy, who was replaced by the Trimens, cam running to Gildarts' side and threw herself to her knees, immediately putting her hands over his wound.

"Master Makarov is safe! We stopped his bleeding, his life is no longer in danger!" she exclaimed to the guild and started to heal Gildarts.

The man smiled at her attempt and sighed gently through his nose. "Oh, that feels nice. Won't do anything...though."

Wendy bit her lip in frustration. He was right, right now she was simply wasting her magic. Not that she cared, though – she wasn't planning on stopping.

Gildarts slowly turned to the side, his barely open eyes now on Mirajane. "Mira...stop being so...stubborn. Difficult. Not everyone who...looks at you is...your enemy…."

Mira sniffed and grunted under her breath, but nodded nonetheless. The man then turned to Gray.

"Don't hate...that dragon...for this." he whispered. "You let hate get...to you...easily...Burn it and...mold it into motivation...to become better, as both a mage...and a man."

Gray clenched his fists, but nodded as well. None of them dared to argue with him .He knew them all too well. Gildarts then turned to Erza, his smile widening.

"I don't know what happened these past few years...but I'm glad to see you back. Keep it up...protect the rest. You'll have more responsibility from now on."

Erza did not cry. She fought them off. Instead, she looked him in the eye and nodded as eagerly as she could, letting him know she would take the responsibility onto her back, much to his pleasure. He gently shifted his eyes at Natsu and spoke out.

"I knew you could do it. I'm proud of you. The guild is in your hands, now."

Natsu's eyes widened in shock. For as long as he remembered he never considered himself as someone who could make another human being proud. He hated what he's done, what he's become. He never expected to hear these words, and yet...he just did. The man who exposed him for the immature brat he was has just praised him, as well as burdened him with more weight than he could carry. And he didn't really know how to feel about it.

Although in pain and barely conscious, Natsu swallowed some spit with his dry throat and said with a hoarse voice. "Thanks.". This was all he could muster with his tired brain. He didn't know what to say, how to react. And thankfully, no one gave him a nasty eye for it.

"You're all responsible for the guild now. I'm proud of all of you. I truly...am. I couldn't have asked for...a better bunch of...brats. I-"

Everyone called out his name in despair, as Gildarts coughed up blood, some of it landing on Cana, who didn't even move. She continued to hold his hand, her eyes stuck on his face. He moved his and their gaze met, and at the same time, Wendy's face dropped. "He's going colder..." she muttered in shock.

Gildarts squeezed Cana's hand best to his ability. "Talk about,,,cruel...just when I found out...I have a daughter...I must leave her...I don't want to..." Tears started to flow down his face, his grip increasing. "I'm sorry I made you wait for so long...I'm sorry I never realised on my own...I wish we could spend some time together...Travel…Visit some taverns...Although that may not be a good father-daughter activity..."

Cana laughed. "I don't think I'm like most daughters. It would be a perfect activity for us."

He smiled. "That would be nice..."

Now almost everyone was sobbing. Erza stopped fighting and let the tears flow, Natsu still hung over her shoulder, his eyes glued to the ground with a scowl. All of the girls, even Mira, were openly sobbing, their voices choked. Wendy was fighting a hickup, her tears falling onto Gildarts' wound, but he was already past the point of feeling pain. His skin has become pale, almost as pale as snow.

"Looks like I'll get to see your mother in a moment...I hope she holds back her slaps for all the things I've done..." he whispered and tried to grip Cana's hand tighter, but he was too weak to do that. Instead, his fingers opened, which made Cana tighten her grip.

"I love you." she choked out, one step away from breaking. Gildarts looked at her one last time, a shadow of a smile on his white face.

"I love you...too..." he whispered, before the light in his eyes extinguished. His head tilted gently to his right, his empty eyes staring ahead. It has happened. The flame of the strongest mage of Fairy Tail has gone out.

Gildarts Clive has died.

Cana stared at her father, reality falling down at her like a giant boulder dropped onto her head. She began to hyperventilate, tears flowing down like rivers down her cheeks.

A terrifying scream escaped her throat, one that cut through the air like a sword. Her voice was hoarse, bleeding, stained with despair and grief. The guild let her let it all out, mourning in silence each to their own. Gray and Mirajane, both beyond broken, have respectfully walked away from the body to let Cana be the only person by his side, her hand now caressing his face. She leaned down and pressed her forehead against his, like a child trying to wake up their parent in the morning.

Natsu clenched his teeth and snapped his arm away from Erza, dropping to the ground onto his butt. He put his hands against his forehead, his eyes covered. Taking it as his own way of coping, Erza didn't react, or say a word to this. Instead, she wiped her eyes and walked over to Hibiki, who stood on the sidelines out of respect.

"Tell us what happened." she demanded. Her voice was dry and colorless, strained by her attempts to stay strong. "How did you find us? Why are we not dead?"

The man looked at her and was about to say he didn't know, but was interrupted.

"Allow me to explain." said a young voice.

Everyone looked at its owner, the girl from before now standing in front of them. She was smiling, but it was sad. Much sadder than her previous one, forced even.

"Who the hell are you?" snarled Mira and wiped her eyes.

"My name is Mavis Vermillion. I am Fairy Tail's First Master." answered the girl, much to the guild's shock.

"Mavis?" repeated Gray with a scowl. "As in the Mavis? The one whose grave we were supposed to find?"

The girl nodded.

"Key word being _dead_." threw in Gajeel. "You sure as hell don't look like a dead woman."

"This is my astral form. I am a ghost." said Mavis. "I was born on this island. By being buried here, I could connect my spiritual energy with the island and become its guardian, to watch over it even after death. As well as future generations of Fairy Tail."

Gray growled. He pushed aside Lucy and Levy to make way, almost knocking the girls over, and walked up to the spirit, aggressively grabbing her by the collar. He lifted her in the air, his furious eyes glued to hers.

"Watch over Fairy Tail?" he hissed into her face, his voice poisonous. "Where the fuck have you been when Grimoire attacked the island? Where have you been when we were being taken down one by one? Where have you been when we were one step away from death, multiple times?! Huh?! Tell me, Lady First?! Why didn't you do anything to help us?!" he roared into her face, shaking her violently. No one was brave enough to stop him, even though they wanted to. Deep in their hearts they agreed with him, to some degree.

"She did."

Gray snapped his head back to Cana and so did everyone else.

"She gave me a spell to use against Grimoire." continued the brunette, her voice almost robotic and quiet. Her eyes were focused on Gildarts' wound, its dark red color reflected on her dead pupils. "But I was too weak to use it. I failed."

This shocked Gray. He put the spirit down on the ground and scoffed before walking away, slightly ashamed of his words. Mavis, however, did not hold a grudge.

"Although I am your guardian, my protection is limited." she admitted sadly. "My magic is connected to the Tenrou Tree, and it has been cut down before I could act. Grimoire Heart's Master, Hades...was a man I once knew. He was one of the founders of Fairy Tail. He knew of the island's secret, and he knew about my astral form. I tried to reach him many times in the past, to lead him away from the dark path...but he refused to listen. He destroyed the tree to prevent me from helping you. All I could do was give Cana some of my magic to use. Until the tree was restored, that is."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Wait...the reason we survived Acnologia's attack was because of..."

"...You?" finished Levy.

Mavis nodded. "Fairy Sphere. One of Fairy Tail's Three Grand Magics. I cast it at the last second before impact."

If he wasn't feeling like shit before, now he did. Gray took his eyes off Mavis and looked away, ashamed of his outburst.

"What exactly did you do?" asked Freed with a frown. "Even if it was a seal or runes, casting something this powerful must have a tremendous price. What exactly did you do, First?"

She hesitated, but replied anyway. "I have suspended the entire island in time and put it somewhere else."

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"Suspended in time?" repeated Lucy under ner snapped her head, realisation hitting her like a truck. "Hibiki!" she called. "What year is it?!"

Sweat ran down his temple. "X791." he replied.

Lucy took a step back. "Seven years?!"

Mavis nodded. "It took me seven years to undo the spell. As you said," she said to Freed. "casting this spell reaps a heavy toll. In order to save you from Acnologia, I was forced to use Tenrou Tree's magic...as well as mine."

As soon as she said that, her left hand started to disintegrate. Lucy and Levy covered their mouths in shock.

Mavis watched her disappearing hand like she was looking at a weather forecast, not even a glimpse of concern or distress on her pale face. She shifted her eyes back to Fairy Tail and continued her explanations.

"Yes, it is true that I am connected to the Tree and share its magic. But I do have magic of my own. I've completely used up the Tree's magic potential, so in order to keep the spell active I had to pour my own magic back into it at once, as well as use even more magic to try and undo it. If I undid it too soon, you would have all been crushed by the dimension of time, where you spent the last seven years. Revealing the island and undoing the spell today have both used up my last bits of magic power. All that is left are the barely alive sparks of magic still residing in the tree, necessary to keep your injured alive. Once my astral body vanishes, so will the magic of Tenrou Island. It will become yet another ordinary island on the ocean."

Levy clenched her fists. "So not only have we lost Gildarts, we are losing the sacred grounds of our guild?" she whispered, bangs covering her eyes. "This is simply cruel."

"We've been away for seven years?" questioned Lisanna. "Is that really true?" she asked Mavis, receiving a nod in response.

"Yes. I'm sorry, but that's how much time it took to undo the spell properly." she said, her voice sad and full of guilt.

Erza breathed in through her nose and shifted her head in the ghost's direction. "It is not your fault, First. We are in no position to blame you. It is only thanks to you we are alive right now." she said and bowed to Mavis as low as she could. "Thank you for watching over us. We will not bring dishonor to the guild and your name."

Mavis' eyes widened in surprise, as other members of the guild wiped their eyes from tears and copied Erza, each of them giving the spirit their own version of a bow. In Gajeel's case it was a gentle, slow nod. This caused the girl to tear up, weight lifted off her chest. She feared they would despise her, blame her...but they didn't. Their eyes, although broken and sad, were genuine. None of them gave her even a glimpse of a nasty eye.

As more of her body has started to disintegrate, Mavis let the tears flow. She used the remains of her right hand to wipe them, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thank you. Thank you all. I'm glad this is what has become of Fairy Tail. Despite the passage of time, the guild is still the same as it was a hundred years ago. I'm glad I got to meet you."

Erza raised her head and smiled. "The pleasure is ours. It's an honor to meet someone who founded the guild so many of us call home."

Mavis sniffed and gave them one last smile, before turning into multiple green balls of light, that flew high into the air, disappearing soon after. Mavis Vermillion's spirit crossed to the other side after decades of watching over the guild, her flame extinguished by her sacrifice to protect the guild's future. A future they were now responsible for.

Lucy looked at Tenrou Tree and frowned sadly. "The tree's magic...is gone." she stated, her voice flat and defeated.

Tenrou Tree lost its previous glow, now reverting into a regular, not special in any way tree. The rich magic flowing through the island was nowhere to be found. In a matter of five minutes they have lost not only their strongest mage, but also their sacred grounds. A place they could always call home.

Mirajane exhaled through her nose and walked up to Erza. "We need to get back to Magnolia. We...I can't stay here." she admitted with a broken voice.

The redhead nodded and turned to Cana, her eyes softening. She walked up to the brunette and kneeled next to her.

"Cana, we need to bury him." she said as softly as she could. "I think you should choose the place. You have more right than any of us."

Cana squeezed her father's hand. "No, I don't." she said. "He may have been my biological father, but he acted like one to the whole guild. I'm not selfish enough to decide that on my own."

"I still think you should have the final say." Erza pressed gently. "Whatever decision you come up with, we will respect it."

Cana wondered for a moment. "Here, on this island. By the Tree." she choked out. "That way, we will still have a reason to come here."

The knight nodded and soon the preparations took place. Erza summoned blankets they used to cover Gildarts' body with, while Gray created a stretcher they transported it with. Him and Elfman were the ones to carry the body all the way to the base of Tenrou Tree.

On their way, they met up with Laxus and the Trimens, who still tended to Makarov. His right leg was gone, the wound already cauterized thanks to combined effort of Laxus' lightning and Wendy's healing, which helped Makarov's body overcome the shock. Ren and Eve have already stitched up his cuts. He was currently in a coma.

Upon creating another stretcher, the entire guild, as well as Trimens, have given Gildarts a proper burial. They dug the hole without using magic and placed him down, before covering him with the dirt. Each and every single one of them except Makarov and the Trimens made sure to use the shovel at least once.

Levy used her magic to summon stones, which were then cut by Erza and put together into a tombstone. Fairy Tail paid their respects in silence, too tired and beaten down to give any sort of a speech, or a ceremony. Their tears said enough.

After the funeral, the group traveled back to the shore, where Christina was.

"We shall fly you back all the way to Magnolia." said Ichiyajust several meters before the stairs that led onboard. "However, there is something I must ask you to do first."

He turned around to face Fairy Tail and looked at them with a serious face. "I must ask you not to say a single word during our travel. Not to us, not to each other. You mustn't ask any questions. Remain completely silent."

Erza scowled. "What is the meaning of this, Ichiya?"

The man looked at her. "You shall find out soon enough." he said and began to climb the stairs, the Trimens following him in suit.

Fairy Tail looked at one another, completely lost. His tone was commanding and cold, completely not fitting him. He sounded...angry, even. Angry with them.

Without much of a choice they got on board and remained silent, the Trimens being the only ones speaking, their previous conversation resuming. Cana curled up into a ball by the wall furthest from everyone else, not willing to see or speak to anyone. Wendy watched over Makarov, whose state was serious, but stable.

Lucy sat by the window, her eyes looking out aimlessly. There were so many things that felt just wrong. Their losses, Blue Pegasus' distant behavior, the seven years they've lost...What about those, who had families? What about the members they've left behind? Did they remain loyal to the guild, or did they disband it, hopeless to see their friends return?

She thought of her father. True, she may have cut ties with him...but he was still her father. Did he worry about her? Was he even aware of what happened?

Lucy was not the only one worrying about what they were about to come home to. Erza took a short peek at Natsu, who was sitting by himself on the opposite end of the room. Seven years – that's how long they've been away for. The Council's agreement of his release stated to last five years. They were two years late. They could just storm the ship and take him and there wouldn't be a single thing she could do about it.

She bit her lip, his smile flashing before her eyes once again. The last thing she saw before being frozen in time. Those words he said...They confused her. She thought her heart was ready, but that may have been the imminent death coming down at them. Now that the danger was gone, so was her resolve. And it brought her great pain and confusion.

Laxus stared out the front window, his arms crossed on his chest. His face was frozen in a furious scowl. There were many things on his mind, and he had to sort them out. Fast.

The Dragon Slayer turned around and caught Erza's eye. He nodded at her and looked at Mirajane, then at Gray, who replied to his call for attention. Laxus raised his right hand and tapped his temple, giving them all a short, nonverbal message. _We have to think of something._

After couple hours of a silent and depressing trip, Magnolia could be seen from the windows. Ren, who was behind the wheel looked at Ichiya, who nodded and pointed with his finger. Soon Christina has started to land on the fields outside of the town, much to Fairy Tail's confusion.

Upon landing Ichiya opened the door and motioned his passengers to exit the ship, which they did. As soon as the last person walked down the stairs, Ichiya exited the ship as well and walked up to them.

"This is as far as we can take you." he told Laxus and Erza. "I am very glad to see you are all well. We will take our leave now. I wish you good luck, and goodbye."

His voice was stoic and distant, robotic even. His eyes, however, were not. His brow was frowned, his eyes focused and glued to Erza's, almost as if he was trying to tell her something.

Gray, who was already long fed up with Pegasus' behavior was about to speak out, but was stopped by Erza, who put her hand on his sternum.

"Thank you very much. We owe you a lot." she smiled, although it was forced. "We hope to see you soon."

Ichiya bowed and walked back to the ship, which took off soon after.

Laxus' eyes narrowed, as he stared at the leaving ship. "You thinking the same?" he asked the redhead.

She nodded. "Yes. Something is definitely wrong here." She then addressed the rest of the guild. "We should be on our way to Magnolia. Let's use this day to see if the guild is okay and gather some light information. We must get used to this bizarre change we've found ourselves in."

Ten minutes later they found themselves just before Magnolia's gates. Their walk was quiet, each of them deep in thoughts. Erza walked in front, her head constantly turning around to take a look at Natsu. He was far behind them, his feet dragging on the road, his head hung low and heavy. His breathing was irregular and his eyes halfopen, with pink bags forming under it. She knew he needed an emergency appointment with Porlyusica – it was definitely his magic container at fault here.

"Look!" called Lisanna and pointed at the gate with her finger. There stood Magnolia's Mayor, alongside city guards and some citizens, curious of what the commotion was about.

"Is that the Mayor?" asked, rays of hope staining her voice Levy. "Did they come to greet us?"

"Well, we have been away for seven years. Even if it doesn't feel like it." pointed out Evergreen.

Laxus scowled. He very much doubted it was a greeting. No one greets others by pointing their spears at them with judging eyes. Especially the Mayor, whose eyes were piercing them for at least a minute now.

"Not a step closer!" called the Mayor.

Laxus stopped walking and raised his hand, causing the group to cease walking. They were around twenty meters away from the gates.

Erza raised her hands and started to slowly walk toward the Mayor. "We wish you no harm, sir. Why are you pointing your weapons at us? What is the meaning of this, Mayor?"

"As you can see, we are denying you entry to the town." replied the man. "You are to turn around and leave at once. If you do not, we shall use force against you. Any form of violence used against me or the guards will result in an immediate intervention from Magic Council. This is your one and only chance. Leave, now."

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What did you say?"

Fairy Tail looked at him in distress. Lucy frowned and started to look at each and every resident of Magnolia standing behind the guards. Their faces expressed...approval. Disgust even, in some cases. It all greatly confused and hurt her at once.

"Magnolia is our home!" bellowed Wendy. Everything that happened was starting to overwhelm her. "Our guild is in here! You can't just throw us out!"

"Magnolia is no home to killers and outlaws." the Mayor shut her down in an instant. "Your guild is no longer welcome here. We have put too much trust in you and we paid for it far too many times. No more. We will not shelter people of your caliber in our great town. Magnolia is now home to a new guild - Raven Tail. You have no place here."

Gajeel and Laxus scowled. They were both familiar with the name. Mayor's behavior now made much more sense.

"Raven Tail?" repeated Gray. "The hell is that supposed to mean?"

Mirajane spat to the side. "Ivan." she snarled.

"Please give us an explanation." pleaded Erza. "We deserve as much."

The Mayor looked at her for a second, as if considering granting her at least this much kindness. He then turned around and started to walk away, but not before he threw few words in farewell.

"I have said what I wanted to say. Turn around and leave, otherwise we'll use force. We do not want anything to do with you."

The redhead stared at his back, her mind getting even closer to the point of breaking. How much more could they possibly endure this day? Gildarts, the island, now their guildhall and the town so many of them called home? All of that, gone. Taken away as easily as candy from a child. Because that's exactly how she felt right now. A helpless child unable to find her way.

Laxus closed his eyes and sighed through his nose. He then turned back and looked at his comatose grandfather. _What the hell am I supposed to do, old man? What would you have done?_

He knew he had to step into his shoes and be the leader this one time. No one else was in any condition to do it, not even Erza. Right now they were like lost sheep, and they needed a shepherd. A kick in the ass to keep them moving forward.

"You heard the man. Nothing we can do about it." he called to the guild. "Let's get out of here and try to find some shelter in the woods. We can't sit by the gates."

His only reply were defeated mutters and nods. Not that he expected any enthusiasm or anything.

An hour later they found themselves camping by a giant tree on the outskirts of the forest. They had just enough space to sit together in one place, as well as enough protection from rain and wind. The clouds above have started to turn grey, black even, almost as if mirroring their mood.

Erza, unable to sit in one place, has taken Lucy by the arm and dragged her to the river in order to get some food. The blonde didn't really feel like going, but she had no other option.

She was currently sitting against a tree, her arms wrapped around her knees. She pointlessly watched Erza try to stab fishes with one of her spears, her thrusts getting more and more accurate.

The knight stabbed the water and caught yet another fish. This made her smile a little, feeling both proud of herself and nostalgic. She used to do this quite often when she was younger. It was good to know she still hasn't lost her touch.

Erza pulled the fish out and threw it at the pile by the shore. It was starting to look promising – they would not starve tonight.

Lucy looked Erza and then back at her knees. "Do we even have a place in this world anymore?" she asked all of a sudden.

Her question surprised Erza. "What do you mean?"

"To us, it hasn't even been 24 hours since our battle ended, but to everyone else, it's been seven years. Everything except us moved on. Do we even have a place to go to now?" she continued, her voice muffled by her knees.

Erza frowned sadly. True, it was really hard to accept something this sudden and major. Just several hours ago they were celebrating their victory, only to then face what felt like imminent death. They were saved, true, but they've lost so much. Did they even have anything else?

Her eyes widened, a very nostalgic memory resurfacing in her mind. It filled her with hope and made her scold herself for forgetting something so simple.

"The guild is not just a building. It's the bonds you form with other people throughout years that keep it together. As long as the bond survives, so will the guild." she said with a smile.

Lucy looked at her, some light returning to her eyes.

Erza caught her glance and laughed gently. "It's what Master Makarov told me when I was younger. It means that if we stay together, we may be able to push through."

The blonde raised her head, now full of life yet again. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I wish he was awake, though..."

"Me too. He should awaken soon. We ought to await this moment and decide what to do afterwards. For now, we should focus on getting our strength back and staying together. That's all that matters." said the knight and walked out of the water. "Let's get back to the others, I bet they're all hungry="

In a matter of a second she narrowed her eyes into a glare and adjusted her spear into a throwing hold, rising it above her right shoulder. Lucy blinked in confusion and looked to her right, jumping from her spot, her hands going for her holster.

A cloaked, short figure was standing in the bushes right by the tree Lucy sat under just a moment ago. It was an elderly woman, her wrinkled chin and lips peeking from under the hood. She raised her hands in the air and smiled gently.

"No need for this, my dear. I am not your enemy." she screeched to Erza. "I wish to help you."

Erza's grip tightened. "State your name and business with us." she demanded.

The woman laughed and put her hands down. "If you wish to strike an old woman down, so be it. However, if you follow me, you will be glad you didn't. You won't be disappointed." she chuckled and walked back into the woods.

"Wait!" Erza called and ran after her, grabbing her boots on the run, Lucy right behind her.

The lady kept walking further into the woods, not paying attention to their calls. Without any other option they followed her in silence, both of them on guard.

After what felt like ten minutes the lady cut through a thick bush and vanished from their field of vision. Erza stopped Lucy and walked in first in order to scout it. Once she peeked her head through she gave the blonde a thumbs up and they both emerged out of the woods.

They were on a very small plain right in the middle of the forest. The old lady was waiting for them by a rather big wooden house that was in the center of the plain. She was smiling.

Erza looked at the house in disbelief. "What is this?" she asked the woman. "Is this what you wanted to show us?"

The lady smiled and gently grabbed Erza's hand, before putting something in it. It was a key, a key to the house.

"Blue Pegasus sends their regards." she said with a smile and simply walked away, leaving stunned Erza and Lucy to themselves.

The redhead looked at her friend and tilted her head at the house.

"Smells like a trap." noted Lucy.

Erza sighed. "Yes, it does. Only one way to find out if it is indeed a trap. Shall we?" she asked and Requipped a sword. Lucy nodded and pulled out Loke's key in case it was needed.

Soon both girls found themselves in front of the door. Erza put the key in the lock and turned it, the door opening with a loud click. She waited for a few seconds before slowly opening it and setting her foot inside.

The house smelled old, but not rotten, nor dirty. It smelled like old trees combined with dust, which was not that surprising, considering what it looked like. The entrance led straight to the living room that was merged with a kitchen. There was an old couch and a fireplace with some firewood stocked next to it. Before the couch was a table with two chairs placed on each side of it. Behind the couch was the kitchen. It was equipped with a stove, an oven, a small fridge and a cupboard hanging directly above the sink. It was all very dusty, clearly not used in a long time.

In the middle of the kitchen stood a crate that looked way out of place. It looked quite new, no dust on it. It must have been put in here not too long ago.

Erza looked around to see if she overlooked anything and her eyes laid on stairs that led to the upper floor, as well as downstairs. She gave Lucy a small nod and climbed them up. They led to a hallway that spread across the entirety of the floor. She walked from door to door to check the rooms. All five looked relatively the same – rather cramped, with two beds each and small bed tables, each with its own lamp to go with it.

After confirming it was safe, Erza unsummoned her blade and walked down the stairs. She found Lucy in the kitchen, who was standing by the already open crate. She had a small note in her hand.

Erza peeked inside the crate and to her surprise found food and water, all neatly packed and fresh. She looked questionably at the note, which was picked up by Lucy, who read it.

"Our dear friends of Fairy Tail. Please forgive our behavior earlier this day. As you have probably found out by now, the situation is unpleasant, to put it lightly. We are in no room to openly provide you with help, so this is all we can do at this very moment. Soon someone will come to fill you in on the tragic gap in time you have all suffered. Please try to endure until then and do not lose hope." she read and looked at Erza with a frown. "No room to openly help us?" she repeated and passed the note to the redhead..

"This must have something to do with the way we were treated at the gates." deduced Erza and took the note, reading it once again. "Something must have happened during those seven years. Pegasus was afraid to tell us anything in their very own ship. Whoever's behind this must be either very scary or of very big influence."

Lucy paled. "You don't mean...the Council?"

"It's possible."

Lucy sighed tiredly and plopped on the couch, a cloud of dust rising in the air. "What should we do now?" she asked.

"We should get everyone and bring them here. This was Ichiya's handwriting." she shook the note. "It's safe. I'm sure we could use some better place to rest than sleeping under the naked sky, We can eat, put our wounded in beds, and try to sleep tonight. We can worry about our next move tomorrow."

Lucy nodded and the two of them left the house. Soon they met with the rest of the guild and explained the situation to them. Although hesitant, they agreed to come and see for themselves.

Thirty minutes later they were all standing in the living room, their eyes curiously wandering around the room. Makarov was already in his bed upstairs, courtesy of Gray and Elfman, accompanied by Lisanna.

Laxus and Gajeel sniffed the air in search of anything out of the ordinary but found nothing. Mirajane climbed the stairs of the cellar, some bottles in her arms and ham hanging over her shoulder. She walked up to Cana and gave her one bottle of rum. The brunette stared at it for a while, before looking away.

"No thanks." she muttered.

Under normal circumstances she'd be shocked, but now she merely hummed under her nose and took the bottle away, leaving the brunette to herself. Mira put down the bottles and ham on the table and popped one open, chugging some rum down while plopping onto a chair.

Natsu dragged his feet across the room and plopped on the window sill. He looked even worse than before and his breathing was hard, which greatly worried Erza. She wanted to speak to him, to ask how he was, but his eyes were telling her it was not the time.

Lisanna walked down from upstairs and leaned against the door frame. "There are 10 beds upstairs, plus one couch in here. There's 19 of us, 17 humans and 2 Exceeds, so some of us must sleep on the floor." she announced.

"That won't be a problem." said Freed from the kitchen. "We will accompany Laxus on his trip to the Council tomorrow. As an active Master, he should be the one to talk to them. This will give you some space."

"We won't need much room either." said Pantherlily, Carla nodding next to him. "Do not count us."

"You sure about this?" Erza asked the Dragon Slayer. "If things go wrong they could arrest you on spot. This could be dangerous."

"If that was the case the folks from Magnolia wouldn't have greeted us without the Council behind their back." he told her. "We have to learn what the hell is going on here anyway. Might as well do it now."

Feeling that he was right, Erza dropped the subject. She wanted answers, just like he did.

The room fell quiet again, awkward and uncomfortable silence filling the room. Sensing that this couldn't go on, Lisanna walked down the last stairs and rolled up her sleeves.

"I'm going to cook something, we're all starving. Anyone care to help?" she asked, trying to sound as cheerful as she could, which only ended up in her strained, forced to sound happy voice not matching her tired, depressed face in the slightest.

"I shall help you." said Freed and put his sword on the table Mira was sitting by. "I was thinking of doing that myself."

"Count me in, too." threw in Lucy. "The least I can do is cut some vegetables."

Lisanna smiled, this time without forcing it and nodded, accepting their help. Soon the old house was filled with the smell of stew, which made it feel slightly less grey and unpleasant.

Mira, Erza, Gray, Laxus and Wendy all sat by the table on chairs made with Levy's magic, while Levy herself sat on the couch along with Gajeel.

"We need more." spoke out Gray, a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "A trip to the Council is not enough. We must know what's happening in the town, what became of our guild, how did Raven Tail even get there in the first place."

"I agree. That bastard Ivan must have pulled some shit while we were gone." scoffed Mira and sipped from her already half empty bottle.

"Did he tell you anything before the exam?" Laxus asked Gajeel.

The Dragon Slayer shook his head. "Never made it close enough to have him tell me his plans. If he was plottin' something, he did it without tellin' me."

"You sound like you all know him." pointed out Carla from Wendy's lap.

"He's Laxus' father, as well as Master's son." explained Erza. "He was exiled from Fairy Tail for reasons known only by Master Makarov."

Laxus scoffed. "It's not even that secret. Old man wanted power, so he got greedy. Gramps noticed that and kicked him out before he turned the guild into ruins. End of story."

"Didn't he get kicked out after he brought that Dragon lacrima with him?" asked Mirajane. "If he was so greedy for power, why would he give it to you and get kicked afterwards? It doesn't make sense."

"Beats me."

"I see." said Wendy. She then slid her chair back and stood up. "I should check up on Master. Excuse me."

With that said, she left the room and walked upstairs, Carla still in her arms. Laxus watched her as she vanished behind the door frame, an idea forming in his mind.

"Remind me to tell you something after we eat." he said to everyone by the table as Lisanna called them to get their plates of food. "I have an idea how to get in the town."

* * *

Darkness of the night pierced through the windows of the hall, the only source of light being torches lit up in the corners of the room. An older man with black hair and a goatee sat by the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand. A very unpleasant smirk was glued to his face for a few hours now, gentle humming coming from behind his closed lips.

A bald, bulky man behind the counter raised an eye to look at him while polishing a glass. "You appear to be in a good mood, Master. Can't say I'm used to it." he said truthfully.

The man chuckled gently. "I cannot blame you, it has been a while since I felt this good. After all, today is a very lucky day."

"You mean Fairy Tail's return?" asked the bartender. "I thought you hated them, why would their return make you happy?"

"I may hate them, but I do not hate the use I will have for them." explained the man. "Their disappearance, despite the rumors, was not to my advantage. Now that they're back..." he grinned. "So many doors have opened before me! The door of opportunity!"

The bartender's face relaxed. "Oh, you mean that plan of yours you once blabbed out to me when drunk?"

The man's face dropped. "My dear Tom, I thought we both agreed you wouldn't mention that evening ever again. You wound me." he said, feigned pain in his voice.

The bartender looked away, flustered. "Right, sorry. I forgot."

The man returned to drinking, while someone else emerged from the darkness and walked up to the counter, pulling out a chair next to him. The man looked to the side and smiled into his glass.

"Have you heard the news yet?" he asked.

The newcomer, who turned out to be a man, smiled under his nose. He had long and messy red hair that was hanging loosely over his pale, tired, and bony face and messy beard.

"Is there anyone who hasn't?" he asked rhetorically. "It's the main topic on the streets right now. Some commotion could be spotted, too. Apparently some people are still not entirely convinced."

The blackhaired man whistled. "So, there are still people who don't believe us?"

"Looks like it."

The man didn't seem to be concerned. He liked a challenge, and now that they came back, he had a chance to have them see it in person. He put down his glass and tapped the counter with his fingers, his lips curving in a sinister smile. "Say Rorge, I've been thinking. Don't you think it's time for another reminder?"

The man named Rorge took his glass and emptied it in one go, before putting it down and looking at his Master questionably, while Tom refilled his glass.

"Up for a little performance?" asked the man again, this time using words that were easier to read.

Rorge grinned, his crooked, yellow teeth exposed. "You know I'd never say no to them...Master Ivan."

Ivan grinned and raised his glass. "You have my permission to go all out. Make it a good one."

Rorge banged his glass against Ivan's. "I'll do my best."

* * *

 **August 18th, X791**

As discussed the day before, in the morning Laxus and the Thunder Legion left for Era, to meet with the Council. No one had any issues with him going there as a substitute Master, given the state Makarov was in. Some of them remembered the way he took the initiative during the conclusive events of their battle on Tenrou Island. He's proved himself to be a worthy leader, one they could trust.

While the Dragon Slayer and his team left to deal with formalities, the rest of Fairy Tail divided into groups assigned to simple life tasks.

Lucy, Lisanna, Carla, Cana, and Erza stayed inside the house, to focus on simple chores such as cleaning, cooking and occasional check up on the wounded. Although Lucy and Lisanna knew they could handle it all by themselves, they let Erza join them. They knew that even if she didn't want to admit, she stayed for Natsu's sake, whose condition kept on worsening. By now all he could do was sit on the couch, his consciousness slipping in and out. Wendy's healing proved to be ineffective, so Lucy talked to Gajeel, who was assigned to chop up some wood, to instead go and find Porlyusica. After groaning and complaining he agreed and took Pantherlily with him.

Cana remained upstairs in her bed, alone to herself. No one had the heart to try and make her do anything, so they let her be.

Mirajane and Gray left the house to hunt. Their food supplies were not small, but not big either. Sooner or later they would run out. Erza knew they both needed some time off, to cope with everything that happened, so she split them apart. They agreed and after making a bet on who will bring more meat back home, they walked into the woods in opposite directions.

Levy and Wendy, on the other hand, were given quite possibly the hardest task to pull off. Laxus came up with the idea of posing them as children and sneaking them into the town to find information. He said that their small build would help them go through with it, which greatly upset and hurt Levy.

After clothing them in cloaks they found in the closet, both girls left for Magnolia. They jumped across the fence with Wendy's magic and quickly ran into the town.

The heavy, dark clouds hanged above their heads, as if threatening everything beneath them. Mild sounds of thunder would occasionally echo across the town, warning of the imminent storm.

The girls strolled through the town, their choice of clothing not drawing attention whatsoever – many people wore their coats and hoods as well. They both held their breath while passing the first patrol of guards, but could soon relax, unrecognized.

"Search for information...Where are we even supposed to do that?" snapped Levy under her hood.

Wendy didn't listen. Instead, she focused on watching the so familiar town she hasn't been to for so long. Not much has changed. A new building here, some small renovations here. Some stores got closed, new ones placed in their stead. She couldn't help but smile after passing her favorite candy store, glad it was not closed and the same lady stood behind the counter. She had to visit soon.

"For now, let's try to get to the guildhall and see what's become of it. We can learn that much without talking to anyone." proposed Levy.

Wendy looked at her. "Okay." she said. "Maybe we can learn something from the citizen, too."

Bells started to ring all of a sudden, much to their surprise. Wendy clutched her ears, her sensitive hearing working against her. The people on the street looked at one another, some of them standing up from their seats at the cafe and leaving, while others changed the direction they were walking in.

"Is it time for another speaking?" an elderly gentleman asked his wife as they passed the girls.

"It appears so. It has been a while since the last one, after all." she replied.

"Do you think it has something to do with...them?"

"Most definitely. Shall we go find out?"

The man grunted in approval and together they left the alley. Levy and Wendy looked at one another and nodded to each other – they felt that following these two could prove to be helpful.

As they walked behind the pair, more and more people started to pour onto the main street from nearby alleys and crossings, a small crowd now marching towards what Levy recognized as path to the main town square. The bells have long calmed down, much to Wendy's joy.

After couple minutes of walking the crowd took one last turn, before finding itself at the main square. It hasn't changed much, if anything at all. It was exactly as Levy remember. Well, maybe except a quite big, wooden platform that stood at the very center. Behind it was something big, hidden by a giant, green curtain.

Quite a lot of people were gathered around the platform, on which on top of stood a very tall, skinny man. He had long, messy hair and beard, as well as a tired, pale face. He was wearing a blue robe, that was very plain and simple.

"Welcome, welcome my friends!" the man screeched to the newcomers. "We've barely begun, you haven't missed anything!"

The crowd settled in their spots, Wendy and Levy standing in the back, close to way out of the square, if it was needed.

"Now, as I was saying, the time has come for our usual update of what happened since our last meeting!" announced the man. "As always, it will be relayed by Raven Tail's Rorge." he introduced himself and bowed. "At your service."

Levy frowned. "Raven Tail?"

"So they really have replaced us." stated sadly Wendy.

The crowd was silent, awaiting the news. Levy looked around. She didn't spot any fear, nor hatred on their faces, which could imply Raven Tail was holding Magnolia hostage, or blackmailing it.

"Let's start with something simple. There isn't much to talk about, but one of our topics is quite juicy, so I am going to save it for last." said Rorge. He put his hands on the railing of the platform and leaned on it. "I am sure that you will be glad to hear the infamous bandits roaming our forests have been officially dealt with. After discussing the terms with this town's wonderful Mayor..." he pointed to his right, where few men stood on a pedestial lower then Rorge's. One of those men was the Mayor, who gently bowed to his people, accepting their clapping. "...We have come to an agreement and cleared the forest. The criminals have been given to the authorities, where they will await trial. You no longer have to fear sticking your nose out of the town – it is now safe!"

The residents expressed their joy with sighs of relief and clapping. After a minute Rorge raised his hand, silencing them.

"As you all know..." he moved on to the next topic. "Magnolia Hospital was in dire need of new medical equipment. As it happens, one of our members had the means to contact his acquaintance from Alvarez Empire. Upon long and quite tiring negotiations, we have managed to obtain new equipment for the town!"

Another salve of loud clapping took over the square, now combined with cheering. Levy's frown turned into a soft scowl, her fists clenching.

"That's foul." she whispered.

Wendy looked at her with concern and grabbed her hand to console her/ Levy's fist relaxed, her anger subdued. She squeezed Wendy's hand back and went back to watching. She knew Raven Tail was doing it just to buy into people's favor. There was no kindness behind it, only self interest. It was the complete opposite of what they would have done.

"And now..." called Rorge, silencing the crowd once again. "We shall move on to what you all came here for. Fairy Tail."

Mutters and scoffs echoed across the square, which greatly distressed Wendy. She looked around, only to find grimaced and unpleasant faces wherever she looked. And it pained her dearly.

"Those are not just rumors. They have truly come back." said Rorge. "After seven long years they stood by this town's very gates, willing to come in. You should be pleased to hear, that The Mayor, along with the City Watch, have successfully driven them away, denying them entry. They are currently somewhere outside of Magnolia, unable to come in here."

"Isn't that a little too harsh?" spoke out an elderly woman from the crowd. "It's been so long...maybe we should forgive them, and let them be? They have been here for so long...leaving these children without a home is cruel."

Rorge's face dropped a little. Soon more people started to agree with the lady, some of them expressing it out loud. Those against tried to silence them with words, arguments flying back and forth across the square.

Levy smiled a little, although it was sad. They still had some allies, even if they could be counted on the fingers of her hand.

Seeing that more and more people started to stand behind Fairy Tail, Rorge scowled. This was not going the way he wanted it to go. _Time to play._

He replaced his scowl with a smile, his yellow teeth exposed. He raised his right hand to silence the crowd and spoke out. "Of course, you're all right. Fairy Tail has been here for much longer than we have. They have been the trademark of this town for decades. You've trusted them for years, supporting and helping them. But ask yourselves this." he raised his right hand, his index finger extended before his nose. "What have they done with your trust?"

He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a sheet of paper. "This is only a fraction of crimes and lies committed by Fairy Tail before their disappearance seven years ago. With your consent, I'd like to read it, as a reminder of what Fairy Tail thought of your trust."

Levy and Wendy tensed up, afraid of what was to come. They didn't dare to speak out. All they could do was listen.

Upon hearing no objection, Rorge unwrapped the paper and started to read. "Although the guild has always been rather problematic and chaotic, their truly dangerous activities have begun a little under a year before their disappearance. It all started with the destruction they brought upon this great town – their war with Phantom Lord. A squabble that should have been resolved through the Council turned into a full out battle, with Magnolia becoming its battlefield. Dozens of destroyed buildings, at least seven casualties and eighty wounded – those are the numbers brought by this disaster. Fairy Tail did nothing to prevent it, nor did they held back, either. They fought their battles all over the town, and when everything settled down...they did not even offer a helping hand."

Levy's fist was clenched so hard her knuckles turned white. She wanted to yell that it wasn't true, that the reason they didn't help was because they were forbidden to leave the remains of their guildhall by the Council...but she didn't. She simply stood there and endured. The only thing she could do.

"If that's not all, then prepare yourselves for this one." said Rorge and turned the page. "Makarov Dreyar was a man famous for the trust he put into young people, especially his guild. It was known by many, and he was loved for it. What you didn't know, is that he would bring criminals and outlaws into his guild and hid them under his banner from justice. This information was kept hidden from the public for many years, until today."

The crowd gasped, unsure of what to make of it. Wendy knew where it was going and it terrified her.

"A mere few weeks after their fight with Phantom Lord, Makarov Dreyar invited two mages from Phantom into his guild. People, who should have answered for their crimes and the destruction they helped to cause. The names of these mages are Juvia Lockser and Gajeel Redfox. They were quietly recruited by Makarov, their crimes unpunished, wiped under the rug." continued Rorge, his words enraging Levy even more. "But there are people even more foul than those two. It's yet another pair of mages, one of whom you might know very well. Their names are Erza Scarlet and Natsu Dragneel, other known as Titania and Salamander."

Wendy went pale. She knew what he was about to reveal and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Salamander was a known criminal, whose rating was stated to be SS. This is not given to those, who steal apples or mug people on the road. This rank is given to murderers and those, who hold absolutely no regard for human lives. He's guilty of at least a dozen deaths and even more assaults, some of them ending in permanent damage. Makarov Dreyar gained his custody after the events in Tower of Heaven, where Fairy Tail confronted a dark guild willing to use Etherion for their own benefit. Although Makarov's deal was signed by the Council itself, Erza Scarlet's case...was not."

Rorge straightened his paper and began to read. "Erza Scarlet, aka Titania, had quite a past. Former slave, she escaped and found herself in Fairy Tail, where she learned how to use magic. It didn't take her too long before she started to take requests and go on jobs. Since her early days in the guild, however, she'd express unstable behavior. She constantly went overboard during her missions, still traumatised by her past. When she was 14, she stopped coming back to the guild for periods as long as months. She'd wander Fiore, going from work to work, not all of them legal. She had been confirmed to be a very common guest in the Underground, a market stock that simply reeks of black magic and criminals. Surely, none of these jobs could be legal...and yet she took them. We have countless witnesses and testimonies of Erza Scarlet wiping out entire guilds by herself, all of them dark. Still, dark mage or not, taking lives is forbidden by law, especially over a dozen. Makarov Dreyar used her status as an S-Class Mage to keep her away from arrest and hid her true activities from the world, before subduing her in silence, putting her actions to a stop. Still, crimes are crimes, and hers have yet to be answered. By today's standard, she would have been considered to be a criminal with a rating of at least an S."

The crowd was outraged, unable to believe what they've just been told. Some of them expressed their feelings out loud, demanding justice.

Wendy stared at Rorge, her eyes wide from shock. "How did he learn of all this?" she asked under her nose, unable to think clearly.

The man watched over the crowd, a sinister smirk forming on his face. He had this in his pocket. The people were slowly starting to turn against Fairy Tail, even those, who tried to support them five minutes ago. Knowing that it was time for the finale, he threw away his paper and snapped his fingers to let his men know the time has come.

"All of what I just said can be backed up with strong evidence, as well as testimonies." called Rorge, his voice trying to scream over the crowd. "You are free to look for a reason behind their actions, you are free to try and understand them. But tell me this – are you really fine with living in the same town as people, who kept this in their basement for decades?!"

The guild members of Raven Tail cut the ropes, the curtain falling down. Upon revealing what was under it, the crowd went silent, too shocked to speak.

Behind Rorge stood a giant, green emerald, its glow casting light at the now slowly darkening square. Inside of this emerald was a human, a naked human, someone Wendy and Levy have grown to know the day before.

Inside of it was a naked body of Mavis Vermillion, their Founder.

Rorge walked up to the stone and put his hand on it. "This has been kept under this town for at least eighty years. Some of you walked over it, some of you live above it. What you're looking at right now is a dead body. Fairy Tail kept a dead body of their previous Master in its basement, for purposes not yet known." He walked away from the stone and turned to the people. "Ask yourselves this. Do you want to have someone with so many secrets in your town? Do you want to be around someone, who constantly abuses your trust? The choice is yours."

The crowd started to roar.

"They should be disbanded!"

"Put them in cells, where they belong!"

"Disgusting!"

"Who in their right mind would keep something like this?!"

Wendy simply sobbed, unable to take it anymore. She didn't care if people recognized her, she just couldn't resist. Levy stared ahead, unable to mutter a single word. She could hear each and every insult sent in their way, every approval of their arrest. Each of them felt like a knife entering her body, one at a time.

Rorge looked at one of his men and nodded. The man walked up to the platform and gave Rorge a cloth. The redhead unrolled the material, revealing Fairy Tail's flag. At the sight, people started to boo, much to Rorge's hidden amusement.

"We swear, that as long as we are this town's guild, we will not let Fairy Tail harm you in any way!" he said. "We will put an end to their schemes! This marks the end of Fairy Tail!"

The clouds have finally given in, small droplets of rain falling down at the square. They crashed against coats and cloaks, but no one cared. They continued to cheer and express their disapproval, much to Rorge's pleasure, his face slowly twisting into a smug, satisfied smirk. He raised his hands like a preacher, while his man lit the flag on fire.

Soon Fairy Tail's mark burst in flames, which made their way through the material like paper. While people cheered, Wendy sobbed into her hands, unable to look at her mark burning like a match. Levy simply stared at the flag, flames reflected in her empty eyes. Her heart couldn't take any more of this. In just one day they have lost everything. Their home, their island, their friend...all of it, gone. Just like that. Burned just like that flag.

"How did it come to this?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. She watched Rorge throw the burning flag away, her eyes watching it fall, and as the remains of the cloth touched the ground, the deafening chanting struck her with all its strength.

"Raven Tail! Raven Tail! Raven Tail!"

Levy closed her eyes, her heart finally accepting it after a tough battle. She had to admit the truth.

Fairy Tail was no more.

* * *

Erza put down a crate she brought from the basement and wiped her forehead. It took them a while, but the house was finally clean. Now it was just dinner that had to be taken care of.

"Do we need anything else?" she called to Lisanna, who was washing her hands.

"No, we're good!" announced the girl.

Erza nodded and turned around to undo her apron. She caught something with the corner of her eye, something that triggered her senses in every possible way.

Natsu's breathing was hard and irregular. He was sitting by the window, curled up into a ball. His hand was on his chest, clutching it hard. His skin was pale and he was sweating so much his jacket was wet.

"Natsu?" she called to him. "Are you o-"

Before she could speak out, he collapsed onto the floor like in slow motion, his face meeting the floor first.

"Natsu!" the redhead called out and jumped over the couch to get to him. She gently grabbed him and tried to turn him over, but he wouldn't let her. Instead he pushed her away, his breathing hard, close to hyperventilating. His eyes were wide open and bloodshot, sweat dripping down his nose and chin onto the floor.

"Is he alright?" asked Lucy from the kitchen.

Before Erza could answer, a deafening scream filled her ears, almost rupturing her drums. A horrifying scream escaped from Natsu's mouth, the pain he felt so unbearable tears started to form in his eyes. He turned to his back and started to claw at his chest, his nails leaving marks on his skin even through the clothing, tearing it off. He desperately tried to reach inside his own body to get to the source of this excruciating pain, but he simply couldn't. Not without killing himself.

Erza quickly grabbed his wrists and tried to hold him down, the other girls running to her aid soon after. The three of them tried to hold him down and try to understand what was happening. Suddenly, Lucy snapped her hand away with a shriek, her palm pink and burned.

"His skin….it's burning!" she cried, much to Erza's shock.

"What are you talking about, his hands are cold!" she said.

The floor beneath Natsu caught on fire, which was quickly extinguished by Lisanna. Natsu's magic was all over the place, irregular, and chaotic, as he continued to scream and try to stab his own chest.

Suddenly, realisation hit Erza like a car, cold sweat running down her face, her skin becoming white in horror. She slowly shifted her eyes onto his chest, despair clutching every fiber of her being.

It kept on being postponed, but finally, it has happened. His magic container has broken.

Natsu Dragneel was dying in this very moment.

While Lucy and Lisanna tried to calm him down and try to subdue his pain, his screams continued to tear through the house into the forest, the wildlife running away in fear. Three cloaked figures emerged from the forest, their eyes focused on the house.

Having recognized the voice, the middle figure smiled under his nose, his blue hair flowing under his hood with the evening wind.

"Ah. How nostalgic."

 **End of Chapter 32. To be continued in Chapter 33: Judgment.**

* * *

 **I have retconned the divine protection provided by Tenrou Tree, that's how Gildarts died.**

 **I didn't want to make the same mistake as Mashima and keep him out of the story for dozens of chapters only to make him come back when things get tough, so I killed him off to develop the characters and make Fairy Tail more vulnerable.**

 **I have also implemented many new things into this chapter, things that will be explained later on.**

 **Raven Tail was garbage in the show and they had the potential to be a major villain in the story, so that's what I'm doing. As you can see, FT is thoroughly thrashed. I'm looking forward to what I've got in stock next.**

 **I hope you liked it. Please, do consider supporting me on ko-fi and fiverr, I'd greatly appreciate it. Links can be found on my profile.**

 **See you next time!**


	34. Judgment

As the rain was slowly extinguishing the remains of the flag, Rorge thanked everyone for their time and stepped off the stage, which the crowd took as a sign to leave.

Levy and Wendy remained in their place, still too shaken up to even move. Soon they were the only people not leaving the square. Knowing it'd make them stand out, Levy bit her lip and turned around to sobbing Wendy. She grabbed her by the arm and led into the leaving crowd.

The young Dragon Slayer couldn't see a thing, her eyes misty, her right hand covering her eyes. Soon the inevitable happened, and she bumped into someone rather hard.

This someone was a quite big man wearing a white, stained with blood apron, most likely a butcher from the nearby shop. The man looked at the girl, angered, his brow furrowed.

"Hey, watch it!" he warned her, irritated. "The hell are ya whining for? Better watch the damn road!"

Sensing trouble, Levy quickly ran up to them and hugged Wendy, forcing a smile at the man. "I'm sorry for my sister, she used to look up to Fairy Tail...To learn all this about her childhood heroes...It was too much for her." she lied to blow away any suspicion.

The butcher's expression softened. "Yeah, nasty stuff. I find it hard to believe meself...My kid used to like them, too. Sorry for yellin', little one. Bad day." he said and gently tousled Wendy's hair.

The girl sniffed and nodded. "No...I'm sorry for b-bumping into you."

The man grunted and walked away, leaving the girls to themselves. Levy looked at Wendy and tried to put up a reassuring face, which she failed at horribly.

"We have to tell the others what happened." she said. "I know it's hard, but try to stay strong, okay? We can cry later."

Wendy wiped her eyes and nodded, her eyes red and puffy. "Okay."

Suddenly, someone from the crowd grabbed her by the hood and started to drag her into a nearby alley, much to Levy's shock. Were they found out?

She ran after them, ready to fight if needed. As soon as she cut the corner, the man turned Wendy around so that she faced him and kneeled before her, taking a good look at her face. Fully convinced their cover has been blown, Levy was just about to ready a spell, but something stopped her.

Wendy's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the man's face, tears forming in her eyes again. Levy used this chance to cut through the alley and get in front of Wendy. When she did so, she looked at the man and felt her eyes widen as well.

His hairline may have receded, his hair may have lost its pure dark-blue color, his face may have gotten more wrinkly, and his 3-day old beard may have turned into a fully grown mustache, but she'd recognize him any day. She'd always recognize this goofy, always smiling face of Macao.

They all stared at one another in awe, unsure what to do next. Macao's skin paled, disbelief and pure shock painted all over his wrinkled face. He looked like he was staring at ghosts, which in his case wouldn't be that far from the truth.

The girls, on the other hand, were once again reminded just how much time has passed since they left Magnolia the last time. It wasn't even the age progression that stunned them – it was how destroyed he looked, his cheeks sunken and eyes tired. Tired of trying.

Just before they could speak out, Macao quickly pulled them down and hugged them so hard they hissed from pain. They didn't mind, though. Not at all.

"How is this possible…?" he mumbled into their hair.

"It's a long story." replied Levy while patting him on the back.

"Looks like they were right..." he sniffed, shame creeping into his voice.

After a minute, Macao let them go and stood up, wiping his eyes. "Come with me, to my house. We can talk there, it ain't safe here, not anymore."

The girls nodded and followed him through the town, trying to not be recognized by anyone else in the meantime. During their trip, Macao didn't say a single word.

Fifteen minutes later they were taking their shoes off in the hallway, muddy puddles leaking from beneath their shoes.

"Don't mind it, there's more dirty stuff in here. Trust me." chuckled Macao and stepped into the kitchen.

As they followed him, they were soon proven just how true his words were. His apartment was a disaster and definitely not by choice.

The room looked old, very old, paint falling off the walls and ceiling, revealing cracked bricks and cement. The windows were old, rotten even, one of them missing glass, which let the cold breeze sneak in uninvited at all times. The cabinets were falling apart, as proven by Macao, who had to catch the door after opening one of them with a little too much force. The apartment was not dirty, however. The floor was as clean as it could get and all the dishes and the sink were clean. It was clearly the best he could do at the moment, which was definitely better than sleeping outside.

"You'll have to excuse me, all I have is some instant coffee...I don't really spend a lot of time in here during the day." said Macao, ashamed. He pulled out two mugs and put the kettle on gas.

"That's okay." smiled Levy. "Where's Romeo?"

"At school, he's taking extra classes. He shares the same sentiment to this apartment as I do."

Wendy looked around the apartment curiously, at the same time trying not to pry too much. After two minutes Macao placed their mugs at the table and sat down, the girls following him shortly.

"Well, then. Don't keep me in the shade any longer." said anxiously Macao. "What the hell happened? Where have you been? Did Blue Pegasus bring you back? Where are the others?"

Wendy and Levy looked at one another and nodded.

They said everything that happened since they left for the exam. The Exam itself, Grimoire's invasion, Tenrou Tree's destruction, battles, Zeref being on the island, Acnologia's arrival, Gildarts' death, Mavis' appearance and how they survived, loss of the island, way back home and being driven away. They told him every little detail they knew, taking short breaks from time to time to get a grip, emotions still strong and raw. All this time, Macao listened without saying a word, without asking any questions. He simply listened, his tired eyes becoming sadder with each bit of the story.

Once they told him everything there was, Macao grabbed his face with both hands and sighed tiredly, unsure what to feel.

"Let's put aside me, because that's not important right now..." he muttered, his voice hoarse from being silent so long. "When I think that, to you, it all took place in just under 48 hours...I just can't imagine it." tears flowed down his face again. "I'm so sorry..."

Levy looked at her feet, frowning sadly. She knew that, to him, it must have been just as hard, if not even harder, not knowing what happened for so long.

"Gildarts...Where did you guys…?"

"On the island. That way, even if it's no longer our guild's sacred place, we can still visit it and treat it as such."

"What about Master and the others? Are they safe?"

Levy's face grew grim. "Master is in a coma. His leg will never be as functional as before. As for the others, they're beaten up but alive."

Macao nodded and wiped his eyes. He stood up and started to prepare a mug of coffee for himself. He could have made it earlier, but they knew he wanted to have something to do after listening to their story. He was restless.

"Blue Pegasus contacted me yesterday, in fact, they've been doing it for a while now." he told them. "They kept calling me whenever they thought they found a clue. The first twenty times I actually had hope, so did the others, but past that number...not so much. That's why I made nothing of their call yesterday. I thought it was yet another fluke, another dead end. But it wasn't." he added, his voice choked from guilt.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. Nobody will blame you, you know that." assured him Levy.

"Even if you won't, I will, for quite some time, I believe."

Wendy took her mug and took a sip, her face immediately twisting from the bitter taste. She respectfully put her mug down and wiped her lips, before asking a question. "Speaking of others, where are they? What happened while we were gone?"

Macao took the kettle off the gas and poured hot water into his cup, before stirring it with a spoon. He grabbed his mug and sat back down.

"Quite a lot, I'm afraid." he said with a forced smile and sighed. "And it all began two days after you left for the exam."

"Two days?" gasped Levy.

Macao nodded. "The Council arrived and let us know what happened, that a dragon came and obliterated the island. They told us about their defeat, too. The news leaked and soon everyone knew Fairy Tail lost its core members, along with their Master. That's when the vultures came."

He took a sip of his beverage and continued.

"Those who stayed started to wonder what our next step would be. Many believed you guys were already dead and there was no coming back, so they simply left. After a week only the oldest members remained. We were trying to get some help, we wanted to look for you guys. Lamia and Pegasus helped us a lot. The Council was in a bad shape, both publicly and inside, so they were of no help whatsoever. We searched day and night for a month, but found nothing. At this point, even your bodies would have made us happy."

"What about Magnolia? Why did they suddenly start to hate us?" asked Levy.

"Around two months after you disappeared, Raven Tail came to the town. They went to our guildhall, Ivan leading them. He demanded to know where Master and the rest was and whether the rumors were true. We told him to get lost, that he had no place in the guild anymore. Much to our surprise, he obeyed and left quietly. Or at least that's what we thought."

Wendy frowned. "He started to talk to the people."

Macao nodded. "At first no one believed him. He spoke the truth, yes, but it was nothing that could make people hate us. When that didn't work he started to dig deeper, to our war with Phantom. People obviously remembered that, but they have long forgiven us, at least some of them. Some families did lose their loved ones that way, no way they would've forgotten that, that's how he obtained his first followers. When that didn't work, he started to reveal some darker facts, the ones that ginger cunt mentioned, such as Erza's past, or that we took that Salamander kid in. He also brought up Gajeel and Juvia, who were basically smuggled into the guild under the Council's nose."

Wendy cringed upon hearing Macao say such a vulgar word. He'd never done that around her before. This must have been one of the many changes that occurred in him during the years.

"And they believed him?" asked Levy. "Did he have any proof for all of that?"

Macao looked at her with a grim expression. "He did."

"Erza told me Natsu's custody was given to us with the Council's permission. Him being a member of Fairy Tail is not illegal!" threw in Wendy.

"We know that." chuckled sarcastically Macao. "The people didn't. All they cared about was what he did _before_ he joined us, but his case was not that serious. Erza was one of the final nails to the coffin, to put it lightly. And not just her."

Levy's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Macao put his mug down, disgust written on his face. "That bastard Ivan made sure to search for anyone who was harmed by Fairy Tail in the past, to testify in his favor. He brought up a young girl, not that older than Wendy, to that atrocity of a stage they put on the main square. He made her strip half naked in front of a crowd and show them her scar. A nasty one, I'll admit. It ran up from her right cheek down to left side of her pelvis, across her entire torso. A scar made with a sword. A scar made by Erza."

Levy and Wendy gasped in shock, their eyes growing wide. Levy stood up, her chair pushed back loudly. "Lies! Erza would never-"

"Except she did. And it's not like I believed those bastards, I just know she did." interrupted her Macao, livid.

Levy stared at him in fear and limply plopped back on her chair.

"There's no way...True, Erza may have had problems in the past, but-" pleaded Wendy. She refused to believe it.

"I know it's true, because the entire guild could hear Master's yelling. It echoed across the whole guild. I've never seen or heard him as furious as back then. It happened shortly before he threatened to stop covering for her, which made her go back on the right track." interrupted Macao yet again.

Wendy stared at him in disbelief. "How did it happen?" she whimpered.

The man shook his head. "I don't know, I've never learned the details. All we knew was that she attacked a kid, at least that's what we understood from the screaming. When we asked him about it, he'd simply scowl and walk away. We dropped it, because none of us wanted to believe Erza would actually attack a child. But...as soon as I saw her, I knew it was her. That it was true all along."

Macao pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He then started to massage his brow and continued.

"Ivan brought up few others as well. Residents of Blackhill Village, people who lived in the village that was destroyed during Laxus' fight with Salamander, some folks who claimed Mira stole their cattle in her demon form...It didn't take long for the people to start turning on us. That was his plan all along, to make the town hate us. The Mayor was one of those people, and a week later, Raven Tail had an official permission to storm our and search it thoroughly. All we could do was watch."

"He had no right." stated Levy. "A guild can be searched only by the Council, not another guild."

"He was well aware of that. He brought some Council officials along, too." laughed Macao. "Bastard thought everything through..."

Wendy's face paled. "Is that where they found...that...thing?"

Macao looked at her. "Yeah. They couldn't find anything in the hall, which was quite pleasant to see, to be honest. He was growing desperate, and our case was getting cleaner. Until they went down to the basement, that is. We had no idea what was stored under the building, to us it was a discovery as big as it was to them. But neither the Council, nor Raven Tail cared. Ivan knew exactly what it was, but played for a fool and used it against us. While we were being interrogated one by one, he pulled that thing out and showed it to the public, with the Council confirming what it really was. After that, the Council had no other choice but to let us free, without any charges. They used everything they had to make us talk, but none of us knew what it was. As for the people..."

Macao's hand started to shake, his grip on the mug increasing so much he was about to break it. Emotions took the best of him, which was not surprising to the girls. They knew reliving it must have felt like hell.

"No one wanted to live in the same place as people who keep a dead body encased in stone in their basement. All of the dirt Ivan brought to the table combined with that discovery were like a hammer, with us being the nail. The people demanded our leave, and the Mayor complied. We were banished from Magnolia, with Raven Tail being established as the new guild. Apparently, they did some favors for the town, favors that made it possible. All of this was Ivan's plan. We were forced to make a new guildhall outside of the town, but even then we were not safe, as everyone wanted us to be officially disbanded as a guild."

"And has it?" asked Levy, dreading the answer. "Has Fairy Tail been disbanded?"

Macao shook his head. "We refused to bend to everyone else and stayed true to the guild. But even the most loyal members could only take so much. Lack of work and constant abuse, both verbal and physical, were too much, and so, people started to leave. Laki, Warren, Vijiter, Nab...they all left at some point. It hurt them to do so, but they knew it was hopeless. Soon after our banishment, the Council has completely reformed itself, both military and law-wise. By a new law, a guild could not be disbanded without its Master's knowledge, and since Master Makarov was gone and none of us took his absentee title, Fairy Tail has been without a Master for seven years. We were not disbanded, but we had no members, either. We became a ghost of a guild. Technically still alive on paper, but dead in reality."

"Did none of the allied guilds try to help? Intervene somehow?" asked angry Levy. "We helped them all so many times, why couldn't they do the same for us?!"

"No matter what they said, facts could not be changed." retorted Macao. "Our guild did lots of dirty stuff in the past, stuff we were not even aware of at times. They did take some of our old members in, but that's about it. When we closed the door to our second guildhall one last time, they knew our minds were set. They tried to help us find you, but we've lost all hope by then. Deep down, all of us were convinced Fairy Tail has come to an end. We've officially become a page in someone's history book, our last deeds being vile ones, full of deception and lies."

The man stood up from his chair and walked up to Wendy. He kneeled before her to meet her eye level and smiled dearly, his jaw muscles strained and not used to the motion. "And yet here you are...alive and well. Not dead. I'm glad at least this one thing did not come true." he sniffed and hugged her, more for himself than her. She hugged him back, tears flowing down her cheeks as well.

Levy looked at her hands, which clenched into fists on her knees. Was this truly what was left of their guild? Forgotten and despised? Its members afraid to walk during the day in fear of being recognized in the town they were born in? Raised in?

"Three years ago I was able to rent a place, the one we're in right now." Macao broke the hug and wiped his eyes, continuing the story. "This was the only good thing about getting old, no one recognized me. I moved in here with Romeo and sent him to school. He hated me for it, but I think he's slowly growing up. He's starting to understand what exactly happened and why things are the way they are."

"That's no way to live." muttered Levy. "Hiding, barely meeting one end with the other..."

"What else can we do?" scoffed Macao. "Not all of us were fortunate enough to be accepted somewhere else, believe me, I tried. We had no other choice."

"You do, now." said Levy. She stood up from her chair again. "We all do, because Fairy Tail is back."

Macao arched an eyebrow. "What, are you gonna start talking to people and try telling them everything they have been told throughout the past seven years was not true? You heard them yourself. We're dead to them."

"That doesn't mean we should stop trying!" she blew up, her emotions finally finding a way out. "We can't just leave things the way they are. We have do fight back!"

"The moment you guys try to attack Raven Tail will be the moment all of you are thrown in jail." stated Macao in a monotone voice, like he was telling the time. "Even if you somehow get past the town, you will never get to speak to Ivan. He will have his men throw you out, only to be found by the guards. We've been through this many times already."

"I never said we would attack them. There has to be a way to confront them."

"Unless you wait for a chance they get out of town on a job with Ivan tagging alone, you will never get close to him."

As Macao and Levy argued, Wendy looked out the window into the evening sky. Her throat was dry and her eyes stung. She felt horrible, both physically and mentally, her mind on the brink. They've lost everything.

"So what do you want to do next?" asked Macao, his patience wearing thin.

"Laxus left for the Council this morning in Master's stead." said Levy. "He will bring answers. We'll decide what to do afterwards."

"If they don't imprison him on the spot." scoffed Macao and buried his face in his hands. He sighed tiredly and massaged his tired eyes. "I'm sorry, I'm just...this is too much. I just can't bring myself up to have any hope."

Levy smiled and patted him on the shoulder with compassion. "I understand. It was much harder for you than us."

Macao looked at her from behind his hands. "At this point, I'm really not that sure."

He stood up from his chair and walked up to the window. "Do you guys have anywhere to stay? I could let you sleep here for the night."

Wendy shook her head. "No, we have a place to sleep. It's in the forest outside of town. We could take you there." she added with a smile. She knew he needed some happiness in his life.

Macao clenched his fist. "No. Thanks, but...no. I don't think I'm ready. I gave up on you all, I allowed myself to believe you all died. For now, I can't face you. I just can't."

Wendy wanted to keep persuading him, but Levy shook her head gently, telling her to drop it.

"If you change your mind, you're always welcome." smiled the older bluenette. "All of you are. Even if the world keeps kicking us, we will never give up. That's just how Fairy Tail is, right?"

Macao bit his lip, fighting back tears. There it was, this dumb stubbornness he'd seen so many times. He missed it.

"Yeah. You're right."

* * *

Lucy turned the tap off and squeezed the cloth into the sink, the excess water flowing down the old pipes. She frowned sadly and looked at the couch in the living room, painful moaning and grunting caught by her ear every few seconds.

It's been an hour since Natsu had collapsed. He threw himself around in pain for at least five minutes before passing out, which allowed the girls to carry him onto the couch and start treating him. They couldn't do anything about his inside, so instead they focused on wounds he inflicted on himself while in agony.

Lucy walked up to Erza, who was sitting by his side with bandages ready. She gave her the cloth to the redhead, who didn't notice it for a second.

"Oh. Thank you." she muttered and took it, cleaning his chest of blood soon later.

Natsu's breathing was irregular, shallow and hoarse breaths escaping his mouth in-between moans of pain. His skin paled, so much it was almost as white as snow. He had very short and sudden periods of consciousness, only to fall back asleep seconds later. But that wasn't the only abnormality about his body.

He was sweating, so much he'd already stained the blanket he was sleeping under, along with the couch itself. His body, however, was as cold as ice, despite occasional flames appearing here and there, usually around his shoulders and palms. Juvia was sitting on a chair nearby on standby, told to extinguish any fire he may have started in the house.

His magic was all over the place, which was really hard to deal with. Every now and then they'd find themselves under an incredibly heavy rain of magic power which, truth to be told, could be handled only by Erza. At one point it was so low one could mistake him for a non-magical human, only to spike up to its maximum in a second.

Carla ran out of the house in order to find Gajeel, who was tasked with finding Porlyusica, Elfman accompanying her. They knew looking for Wendy was too dangerous and time consuming for now – Gajeel was closer, and the old healer was the one who knew exactly what to do in this situation.

Erza wiped the last bits of dried out blood off Natsu's chest and started to bandage it. Her hands were shaking, her skin filled with just a little more life than his. She was worried, that much was obvious. She knew his condition could end up in a disaster and yet...Hearing his throat ripping screams of pure agony hurt her quite possibly just as much as his insides hurt him.

Lisanna stepped into the room. "I checked up on Master, he's stable. Still sleeping." she announced and looked at Erza with a sad frown. She walked up to the knight and put her hand on her shoulder. "Everything will be okay. Carla, Elfman, Gajeel, and Lily are looking for Porlyusica as we speak and Wendy should be back soon. They'll help him."

Erza nodded weakly and continued to bandage Natsu.

Suddenly, knocking on the door echoed across the house. Lisanna beamed and ran to the door. "See? I told you! They're back already!"

Erza felt like a rock was pushed off her chest. As Lisanna opened the door, she felt her lips curve into a reassuring smile. She leaned onto Natsu and whispered to him. "Everything's going to be all right."

"Um...who might you be?" she heard Lisanna ask the newcomers, which immediately triggered her senses. She sharply turned her head to the side, towards the door.

Her eyes began to widen, blood rushing into her head. Her fists clenched on their own, her magic activating on its own accord.

As she Requipped a sword, she got off the couch and dashed across the door, thrusting her blade at his face, much to everyone's shock. The face she still saw in her dreams, haunting her months after that incident. There was no way she could ever forget this cocky smirk, this tattoo. This blue hair.

"Jellal!" she roared and tried to pierce his face, much to everyone's shock.

The man raised his hand and caught the blade just before it could stab his face, blood dripping down his now cut hand. Erza pushed as hard as she could, but he was too strong. She lowered her head, bangs covering her eyes.

"What the hell are you doing here, you fiend?!" she hissed in pure fury. She was way past her limit. Normally she would have hesitated before attacking, but her patience was wearing extremely thin right now. And so was her ability to care.

Jellal did not reply. He simply smiled under his hood and let go of Erza's blade.

"Huh? Who is this? What's going on?" asked confused Lisanna.

Lucy and Juvia, who were already on guard, pulled the girl close to themselves and carefully watched the newcomers.

"This man is a member of Seven Commandments!" warned her Lucy.

Lisanna gasped. "What?! That dark guild from back then?"

Erza bent her knees, ready to strike again, however before she could do so two figures ran up front of Jellal, waving their hands.

"Wait!" pleaded one of them in a mature, female voice. "Wait with trying to cut us into pieces! Let us explain!"

"Who are you?" asked Juvia. "What do you want from us?"

The other figure gasped under her hood.

"Juvia?" she asked and reached to her hood.

At the same time, all three of them took down their hoods, their faces now fully visible. There stood Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy, the last one's eyes focused entirely on Juvia.

"Hello, Juvia. It's been a while." she smiled at the rain woman.

Juvia stared at her in awe, her eyes wandering up and down along her body. "Meredy?! You've grown so much..."

The girl smiled so genuinely Juvia felt something tap her heart. To her it was only a day or two since they last met. She remembered that lost, gloomy kid she talked some reason into. Now, she was a young woman with much longer hair tied behind her head and a smile glued to her face. Seeing her all grown up and truly happy made Juvia feel happiness on her own.

"Huh? You two know each other?" asked Lucy.

Juvia nodded. "Yes. She was a member of Grimoire Heart. We fought each other."

"Grimoire?!"

Erza continued to glare at Jellal, her sword still aimed in his direction. She was just about to speak out, but she was interrupted by a loud noise coming from the couch.

Having woken up, Natsu noticed who came to visit, and he did not take a liking to the guests. He was scowling at Jellal, his teeth bared, as he desperately tried to get up despite the pain.

Jellal watched Natsu's attempts with a stoic face, not making anything out of the bloodlust he was being thrown at. Erza quickly ran up to Natsu and tried to calm him down, but he did it by himself, passing out just before he could fully sit up. He collapsed onto the couch, his consciousness fading away yet again.

Erza readjusted the cloth on his forehead

"I am well aware just how ridiculous and bizarre this meeting is." began Ultear, taking the commotion as a chance to calm the situation down. "But trust me, it will be much more bearable if you let us talk for a moment."

"Yes, I'd really like to know why former dark mages are in our house." stated Cana from the stairs. She was in a very foul mood, her eyes red from crying all night.

"Cana!" Lucy ran up to her. "You don't have to be here, go and take some rest..."

"Hard to rest with all this ruckus."

Ultear nodded in agreement and spoke. "Yes, you do have all the right to ask for this knowledge. My name is Ultear, this is Meredy and...well, Jellal." she introduced herself and her companions to everyone.

Erza's head snapped upwards upon the introduction. "Ultear? As in Ur's daughter?"

The woman nodded. "Yes, that's me."

"Wait, you know her?" Lucy asked Erza.

The redhead nodded. "Gray told me. She is the daughter of his late master, and the person who restored the Tenrou Tree during our battle with Hades."

The blonde's eyes widened. "Wait, that was you?!"

Ultear grimaced in displeasure. "That kid...I told him not to say a word..." she sighed.

"It's not that bad. The more recognition you get, the better. We don't get to experience that nowadays." smiled Meredy.

Ultear looked at her and sighed in defeat. "Yes, I guess you're right..."

Upon making sure Natsu was all right, Erza stood up and walked up to the trio. "I shall give you my gratitude later. First, explain. Why are you here? And why is he with you? How did he get out of jail?" she asked, glaring daggers at Jellal.

Ultear cleared her throat. "Yes, that comes first. I don't expect you to know anything about what was happening the past seven years, so let me explain everything. The three of us are an independent guild that goes by name Crime Sorciere. Jellal joined us after we broke him out of prison to help us. We have been contacted by Blue Pegasus, who gave us your location and the situation you were in. We came here to provide you with any help you might need, be it physical or in a form of plain information."

Erza listened in silence. For now, she had to put her grudge aside and keep her head clean. At least try to.

"What's the purpose of your guild?" she asked.

"We are a guild created with the sole purpose of defeating Zeref. We destroy any dark guilds that may have a connection to him and anything that is involved with his name."

Erza barely stopped herself from laughing. "You do realise just how ironic and absurd this all sounds, right?" she asked them, her eyes focused entirely on Jellal.

Ultear smirked. "I catch myself thinking that every single day."

"All of us know just how wrong our way was and how lost we truly were in the past." explained Meredy. "We've experienced it. That is why we wish to put an end to this, so that no one will ever succumb as low as we did."

"So, you're trying to play the redemption game." stated bluntly Cana. She had no room in her heart to care about being rude.

"To put it shortly, yes." said Ultear, not taking the bait. "And that precisely is the reason we freed Jellal from prison, to help us do it."

Erza's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean?"

Ultear met her eyes, hers burning with resolve. "I'll be blunt. I was the reason Jellal turned out the way he did."

Erza's eyes widened a little. Jellal quickly put his hand on Uktear's shoulder, not pleased with her choice of words.

"That's enough. I've already told you, I don't-"

"Even if you don't, I do." she shot him down and knocked his hand off her shoulder. She turned back to Erza. "When he was still a slave, I have used magic to possess Jellal and alter both his memories and personality. I wished to use him in Zeref's awakening, a plan that was partially Hades' creation. Still, I was the one who did it and I did it with gladness."

Erza clenched her fist. "Go on." she whispered.

"Later on I was using him to infiltrate Seven Commandments and destroy them from the inside. As a rival guild, one that potentially equaled us in power, it was in our best interest to eliminate them. Their goal was similar to ours, so I used Jellal for years to come, until his defeat by your hand. That is when my control over him broke, returning him to his original, true self." continued Ultear.

Erza took a step forward. Jellal immediately walked up front and extended his arm to guard Ultear if needed.

"I already told you to stop." he turned to the woman, his voice stern. "You were not in the best place either, we were both being used. I've never blamed you for it and you know it."

Ultear smiled sadly. "Unfortunately, I didn't have anyone messing up with my memories. I was a monster on my own accord."

"And I had multiple moments of struggle between my true memories and what you forced onto me." retorted Jellal. "I always chose the vile ones, because they felt the most convenient. I had many chances to break free and I didn't use them. We both committed atrocities out of our own will."

Erza grit her teeth.

"So, you're meaning to tell me you killed Simon and the others because you were brainwashed? You watched people die throughout years and you weren't even yourself at that time? That's very convenient."

She was furious, unable to understand who should be on the receiving end of her anger, Jellal, or Ultear.

The tension in the room was so thick one could hang an axe in the air. No one dared to stand between livid Erza and Crime Sorciere. Lisanna kept shifting her eyes between both parties, still not able to grasp the situation.

Jellal broke the silence. He lowered his raised arm and faced Erza. "I am not asking for your forgiveness, for I know I do not deserve it. Not from you, not from anyone else. However, I do not intend on letting you kill me, either."

The knight's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"If you wish to fight me again out of hatred, so be it. I shall accept your challenge and defend myself. But I will not let you kill me. My role in this world is far from over."

"Who exactly do you think you are? What are you even talking about?"

Ultear stepped in-between the two of them, fully aware the situation was slipping out of control.

"We both know we're terrible people, regardless of whether we were brainwashed or not. I took a step in the wrong direction and that pulled Jellal down with me. We both blame ourselves and frankly, neither of us deserve to live. But we have to. We all have a new purpose and if fulfilling this purpose makes up for even a fraction of all the evil we caused, then we will do whatever we can to achieve it." she explained.

"A good deed does not wash out the bad, nor a bad the good.." said Cana all of a sudden.

Everyone in the room looked at her in confusion. Seeing all the eyes on her, the brunette flushed.

"Gil...Dad used to say that." she said with a broken voice. She turned to Erza. "I don't know what happened between you and them, but what they're saying makes sense. No matter what they do, they will never answer for their sins, not even with death. You will just stain your hands. Let them do their thing and stand down. At least that's what I would have done."

"She's right, Erza." added gently Lucy. She walked up to the knight and put her hand on her shoulder. "You did it already, have you not? You've conquered your past, no point in going back there. All that happened recently...it's getting to your head, as it is for all of us."

Erza sighed through her nose and sent her blade back. She closed her eyes and dragged her right hand across her face.

Taking it as a sign the situation has calmed down, Crime Sorciere relaxed. Lucy rubbed Erza's back and decided to take over the conversation.

"Is your guild official?" she asked. "What's your current status?"

"Due to all three of us being former fugitives, no, we are not an official guild." answered Ultear. "As for now we are trying to get to one of the big fishes, a guild I was once quite familiar with in the past."

"Tartaros." added Meredy. "They're going to make a move soon. We don't know what yet, but everything points in that direction. We want to stop them before they can even think of their next move."

"However, it's easier said than done. They are using the same tactics as Seven Commandments did in the past and they never carry out their jobs by themselves, they always use subordinates." said Jellal. "We cannot use them, no matter how often we catch them. Every single member of Tartaros we have caught committed suicide within seconds from getting captured."

"Why is it that something grim always happens within days from one another..." sighed Juvia.

"Tell me about it." sighed Meredy.

Erza breathed out loudly and faced Crime Sorciere. "You said you've come here to aid us, is that correct?" she asked Ultear. Her voice was still shaky but she has regained her composure.

The time mage nodded. "Yes, if it's within our capabilities, we will help you."

"One of you could provide us with information, that'd be of great help. However, there is something I'd like you to help m...us with." she bit herself in the tongue and stepped aside to show them the couch.

Natsu was once again wheezing quietly, his magic all over the place. Crime Sorciere looked at him, the girls concerned.

"What seems to be the problem?" asked Ultear and walked up to Natsu.

Erza frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot give you a proper explanation. From what I understood, it's his magic container, at least that's what I've been told. It got damaged in the past, but after we came back it's gotten worse, much worse than before."

Jellal walked up to them, but kept his distance. "Did it happen during his battle with Silva?" he asked.

"Yes." she replied, not looking at him. "According to Porlyusica he overused his magic and strained his body and the organ responsible for magic power. He was told to not overdo it, but our battle with Hades was a lost one. He had no other choice."

Ultear kneeled by the Dragon Slayer and touched his chest. Her eyes widened a little at how cold he was – it felt like she was touching a corpse.

Her hand glew gently, as she scanned his torso in search of the culprit. Upon finding it, her face paled.

"There is no doubt about it." she said and stood up. "It has definitely broke. Right now he's being poisoned by his own magic. If we don't do anything he will be dead before we know it."

Erza's heart dropped. Lucy quickly awakened from her shock and grabbed a jacket from the kitchen table, before running up to the door. "I'm going to run to Magnolia and bring Wendy!" she announced and opened the door.

"Wait!" Lisanna called after her. "We've sent enough people out already! If you go, there is a chance you will simply get lost, or worse, caught!"

"But none of us can help him right now!" shouted Lucy. "Only Wendy or Porlyusica can help him!"

"I'm not so sure about that." said Ultear. "I may be able to help him, but I will definitely require assistance from someone proficient in healing. I cannot use my magic on humans, so I can't restore his body back to normal. I can, however, grant him something new."

Erza looked up at the woman. "What do you mean?!" she asked hopefully.

"As you all know, mages possess an additional organ that is called a magic container." Ultear started to explain. "Every person in this house has one. However, according to recent studies, mages possess an additional container, one that may or may not develop itself if one if proficient in the art of magic. Scientists call it "Second Origin". Unlocking this additional container not only boosts one's magic, it also acts as a survival policy of some sort."

"Just like kidneys." wondered Lucy. "Even if a human loses one, as long as the other one is in-tact they can live a happy life."

"Exactly. Seeing how this is Salamander we are talking about, I have no doubt he does in fact possess Second Origin. My Arc of Time can help bring it out, thus stopping the poisoning and restoring him back to normal."

Lucy beamed and looked at Erza, who felt like her legs were made out of wool. This roller coaster of emotions was too much for her already shredded nerves.

"There is one problem, though." warned them Ultear. "Bringing out Second Origin is an extremely painful and time consuming task. If I were to start doing it now, he would die within a minute. If I am to help him, I will need someone to continuously heal the damage I inflict upon him with my magic. It will render him in a stage of agony, he will scream and try to make it stop, so we will also need to hold him down. It may sound horrifying but if we succeed, he will live."

Everyone looked at the Dragon Slayer, various expressions scattered around the room. Erza looked out the window in hopes of Wendy's small figure walking out of the woods but in vain. Her fist clenched itself, dread crawling up her neck.

 _Wendy please, hurry._

* * *

 **Earlier this day, Magic Council HQ, Era.**

Laxus and the Thunder Legion beat the last step of the mountain on top of which stood a giant, recently built building. It looked nothing like that Laxus remembered it to be, a clear indication that changes have surely been made.

It was almost twice as big and rather plain looking. The previously over detailed building was now simple in design, white and grey in color. If it was just a few stories higher it could easily pass as a castle.

"Man, and here I thought the previous one looked bossy." whistled Bickslow.

"It is to be expected. The Council has grown in size from the last time we've seen them. Appearances are important." said Freed.

Laxus stared at the building for a minute longer and sighed. "Let's get this over with."

The group entered the building, the first major change meeting them at the doorstep. Instead of the usual giant lobby, they were greeted by a much smaller one, with a single desk being placed in front of the entrance. Behind it was a giant door, which must have led to the main parts of the building.

Behind the desk sat a young lady with long, black hair. She was wearing a traditionally white Council uniform, except it was cut out to look like a female suit. She threw a quick glance at the group from behind her square glasses and went back to her documents.

"How may I help you?" she asked in a monotone voice.

Laxus walked up to the desk and leaned on it.

"My name is Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's acting Master. I'd like to speak with someone in a higher seat."

The lady stopped gaping at her documents and lifted her eyes, disbelief written on her face. She looked at each one of them and then back at Laxus.

"I'm sorry sir, did I hear you correctly? Fairy Tail?" she asked, seeking confirmation.

"Yeah."

The lady nervously adjusted her glasses and got off her chair. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."

With that said she exited the room, leaving the group to themselves.

"You think she went to get the guards?" scoffed Evergreen.

"If she did, not locking the door behind us was quite foolish." pointed out Freed. "We've been gone for seven years. It will most likely be a shock to see us alive and walking."

"Hopefully we do not walk downstairs in chains." sighed Bickslow.

After a few minutes the lady came back, alone. She sat back in her seat and addressed Laxus. "You are free to enter the main hall. I'm afraid that as a representative of your guild you are the only one allowed to proceed further. Everyone else must remain here."

Laxus nodded and turned to his team. "Stay here, this won't take long."

"Very well. We shall wait for you downstairs." nodded Freed and signalised the others to follow him.

Laxus turned to the door and sighed tiredly. He wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

He pushed the door and entered the main hallway, which didn't really change that much from what he remembered. It was just as big and spacious as before, except now it was supported by giant pillars. Council members strolled back and forth, some of them overloaded with papers, a sight that genuinely impressed Laxus. He'd never seen them work too much.

"I had no reason to have any doubts and yet I am still surprised." echoed a deep, cheerful male voice. Laxus turned to his right and felt his lips tug into a small smirk. Maybe this visit wouldn't be that bad after all.

Before him was Jura Neekis, Lamia Scale's ace as well as one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Having met him during their joint operation against Oracion Seiss, Laxus grew rather fond of him.

He ditched his earth-like clothes for a very wide and baggy robe that was dark grey in color. He had wide sleeved pants that were light brown and his feet were dosed with straw sandals. He grew out a very long beard, one that reached his chest, with a small mustache glued under his nose. He was still bald and his face was more wrinkly, but his usual smile has not changed a bit.

The man walked up to Laxus and extended his hand in his direction, his smile never leaving his face. "It's good to have you back, Laxus. I am glad Pegasus was not wrong for once."

The Dragon Slayer smiled as well and accepted the handshake, giving it a firm grip. "I'm not so sure if I should be glad I am, though." he said, much to Jura's amusement.

"I am aware of your dislike of such comparisons, but for a second I felt as if it was your grandfather who was standing here." chuckled the Wizard Saint and let go of Laxus' hand. His face changed into worry and concern as he asked. "How are the others? How is Master Makarov?"

Laxus looked him in the eyes. _No point in lying._

"Gramps is in a coma, we don't know when he will wake up." he said, his voice a little choked as he spoke of his grandfather's condition. "The rest is fine, banged up but alive. Except Gildarts. He died."

Jura paled. He closed his eyes and brought his hand up to his face to cover it for a second. "Dear God..."

Laxus turned away. He didn't want to receive any pity or condolences. "You're here for a reason, right? I doubt they let you greet me just to talk about good old times.."

Taking the hint, Jura regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"That I am." he said. "Come, I am sure there is a lot you would like to know. Luckily, I have been appointed to be your guide for the time being. I shall accompany you to the hearing." he said and gestured to his right before turning around to walk in said direction.

Laxus arched an eyebrow as the men started to walk across the hallway. "Hearing?"

"Yes. As it happens, today is the day the Council is hosting its usual monthly meeting. All of the Sages and the Chairman himself are in the building. Upon hearing of your guild's comeback they requested for you to stand before them."

Laxus' eyebrows have now turned into a frown. "Sages?" he asked as they took a turn to the right. "I've never been too good at dealing with the Council but I don't think I've ever heard of such title."

Jura nodded. "Yes, it is only natural you feel lost. I shall let you in on everything in the right order."

The duo passed by a group of soldiers, their equipment foreign to Laxus. The usual robes and magic lances were gone, now replaced with a set of armor and weapons of a soldier's choosing. One of them had a mace while the rest's hips were holstered by swords.

"The Council's expedition to Tenrou Island ended sooner than it began." explained Jura. "Not just that, all of the prior events and incidents have gradually damaged their reputation. Upon returning from the island an official order was born, one that reformed the Council from its very roots. The military, laws, rules, headquarters – everything has been changed, from minor to major ones. One of the biggest changes was stripping the Chairman of his ultimate power. He still possesses the highest authority in the Council, but his decision can be overthrown by Sages, who are right beneath him. There are five Sages in total. If four Sages vote in favor or against a certain decision, not even the Chairman can change said decision. This has been implemented as a counter-measurement to what happened seven years ago, when Seven Commandments held the power of the Council by brainwashing only one person."

"And who is the Chairman now?" asked Laxus.

"The position is still held by Org. He has always favored your guild and, to be honest, he is one of the only reasons your guild is still considered an active one."

Laxus scoffed. "Well, that's promising. What else?"

"The military has changed drastically. Rune Knights are no more, now they have been replaced by Twelve Divisions. Each of them specializes in something different and they are run by..."

Jura stopped relaying information to Laxus and looked to his left. The Dragon Slayer did the same. Their eyes fell on a rather young, short man with curly brown hair and a young beard on his chin. He had bags under his eyes and he was very pale, a clear sign of fatigue. The man noticed the duo and smiled at Jura from above his papers he was relaying to his subordinates. He mouthed something to them and changed his direction, now walking towards Jura and Laxus.

He was wearing an armor Laxus immediately recognized to be very similar to the one Erza wore at daily basis. It lacked its usual Heart Kreuz insignia and was white and silver in color, it also looked significantly heavier and more durable. He had a two-handed sword strapped to his left hip, its crossguard gold in color, a pummel with the insignia of the Council dosing the end of its handle.

"Jura! Long time no see!" he greeted the Wizard Saint and reached out to shake his hand. His voice was quiet and thick with sleep, or rather its lack.

Upon answering, the man smiled. "I believe the last time we've seen one another was six months ago, Rickard." laughed Jura.

"You know how much I enjoy being here. I much prefer my own apartment in Crocus." said the man. He then spotted Laxus and frowned a little. "Have we met before?"

"Oh, that's right, where are my manners...Laxus, this is Rickard Smith, Captain of 7th Division. Rickard, Laxus Dreyar, Fairy Tail's active Master." Jura introduced the men.

Laxus shook Rickard's hand out of respect for Jura and quickly broke it. The captain smiled at this reaction but made nothing of it.

"Fairy Tail, eh? It sure has been a while since the world's heard of you." joked Rickard. "I hope the geezers won't chew you up too much, I've heard it was quite a nasty business, your disappearance that is. Technically no reason to throw you in jail, but….we all know how they can be."

Laxus nodded, not fond of the knight in the slightest. Seeing that small talk wouldn't work out, Rickard turned back to Jura.

"I have some information on that matter you wanted mt to look into, but I doubt we can find a moment to talk about it thoroughly. I will come by your guild on my next mission, it's rather close. Make sure to be home this time."

Jura laughed and raised his hands apologetically. "I will, I promise. I am going home soon and do not intend on leaving for a longer while."

The knight nodded and yawned. "Now, if you excuse me, I still have some things to do before leaving this cursed place. With some luck I'll get some sleep on the train...See you later, Jura. Been a pleasure, Laxus."

The captain bowed gently to both men and took his leave. Laxus watched his back for some time, before turning back to Jura with a questioning look.

"7th Division, other known as Defense Against Black Arts and Disasters. Him and his division were the ones leading the case of your disappearance, until he was ordered to drop it after a year of no results." explained Jura and resumed walking. "As I said, there are 12 Divisions in total and each of them specializes in something different. Each of them is led by a Captain, to whom answer Squad Leaders, who command Units. Their numbers can vary, from one to even ten. Each Squad Leader can command up to five Units. One Unit is worth 100 men. The smallest Division has 502 men, while the biggest has 5011. All of them have been trained in the arts of magic, meaning every single soldier at Council's disposal is a mage."

Laxus whistled. "Maybe now they will be able to deal with something other than civilians." he said sarcastically.

"Your bitterness is understandable, however I must warn you the Council today is on a whole new level when compared to its old self." said sternly Jura. "Even the weakest Captains rival S-Class mages in strength. That is one of the requirements to becoming one. The man you've just met, Rickard, is said to be one of the most powerful soldiers the Council has to offer."

Laxus hummed gently. He then frowned a little. "I'm having a hard time believing everything you've just said. If this was twenty years we were talking about, sure, but all of those changes in just seven years? It just doesn't add up."

"I do not have any proof of this, but I've heard these changes have been in plans for years before being brought to life. When preparations are made early, even something as drastic can take as little as few years."

"Right."

The men spent the rest of their walk in silence. Upon meeting the quite familiar door to the courtroom, Laxus sighed through his nose and turned to Jura. "Anything I should watch out for?" he asked for last bits of advice.

Jura wondered for a second. "I've yet to see you lose your temper, but I would suggest being on your best behavior with your words. Fairy Tail's situation has never been as brittle as it is now."

Laxus frowned. "Wait a second, what are you-"

"You will find out soon enough." cut him off Jura. "I wish you luck, Laxus."

With that said the Wizard Saint left Laxus to himself and entered through the door for Council members.

Laxus sighed and put his hands on the door. Better get it over with.

He pushed the heavy door and was immediately blinded by the sun coming from behind the windows placed directly before the door. Frowning, he pushed the door open and stepped inside, passing the guards on his way. Upon adjusting his sight to the new lighting, he spotted a rather tall stage in front of him, in which many Council members were seated. He recognized a few faces here and there, but the biggest and quite possibly most pleasant surprise met him at its very top.

On the second highest level, by a table in the shape of a half-moon sat five old mages, who Laxus took as the so called Sages, one of them being Yajima, his old face smiling down at the Dragon Slayer. Above them on a chair that could easily pass as a throne sat Org, his staff held tightly in his right hand.

Laxus noticed Jura making his way to his seat, their eyes meeting for a moment. The blonde smiled under his nose. A hearing, yeah right. He was standing in front of the court and no one would tell him otherwise. Taking Jura's advice to the heart, Laxus beat the remaining distance and stepped on the pedestal his grandfather had stood on so many times in the past.

Chairman Org struck his staff into the stage, silencing the room and cleared his throat.

"Please, forgive us the appearance, Laxus Dreyar. Normally we wouldn't have accepted you in such manner, however your timing acted not in your favor." said the elder.

Laxus barely stopped himself from snorting in amusement. "So I've been told." he said instead.

A small elderly man that resembled a cat scoffed and reached out to the papers in front of him.

"Let's get this over with." said Michello. "We will be blunt, boy. By the law we could not disband your guild without informing your Master and since none of your remaining members took the mantle, we were forced to acknowledge that corpse of a guild as a part of us. Now that you have returned and you are the representative of your guild, we can finally inform you that your guild has been officially disbanded." he said with a condescending smirk. "Any objections?" he asked the Councilmen, confident of his selfish decision.

"Key word being representative, my dear Michello." said calmly Yajima. "As you have been informed, Master Makarov is incapacitated. We cannot disband the guild just yet."

"Fully agreed." said Sage Belno from the opposite end of the table.

Michello grit his teeth and scoffed while looking away.

An elderly bald man sitting next to Yajima reached out for the papers, reading them for a moment before speaking out. "We have already received the reports, however, we would like to hear your version before proceeding further. What exactly happened seven years ago? What caused your absence?"

Laxus put his hands on the railing. "We were attacked by both Grimoire Heart and Acnologia, one after another." he said shortly.

Murmurs of disbelief echoed across the room.

Sage Yuri nodded lightly, his eyes still on the reports. "Both versions match each other. If I may ask, how exactly did you manage to survive?"

 _This is where the fun begins._ Thought sarcastically Laxus. "We have been suspended in time by a spell casted by our Founding Master, Mavis. Her soul remained on the island, to watch over it. She used her magic to protect us."

"Mavis Vermillion has been confirmed as dead almost a hundred years ago." stated Sage Belno. "Are you trying to say you have been saved by a deceased person?"

"You said your men saw Acnologia blow up the island, right?" asked Laxus. "Get those men on a boat and sail to where they saw it happen. They will be extremely shocked to see the island back where it was. Maybe that will help you believe it." he finished, sarcasm filling every single word.

"Watch your tone, boy." warned him Michello.

"That's enough." Org struck the floor once again, calming the situation down. He then addressed Laxus. "The Council has questions for you, Laxus. Do you swear to answer them truthfully in the face of the Council?"

"I do."

"Very well. Let's get to the first matter." said Org and waved his hand at the Sages, who nodded and collected their papers from the desk.

Yajima cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable, and spoke out first. "As you have been probably told by now, Raven Tail is the new guild of Magnolia. If we decide to reinstate your guild to its full privileges, how do you expect to deal with this situation?"

Laxus frowned. Truth to be told he'd gladly storm the guild and nail his good old dad once or twice. But as nice as that'd be, it would also act as a one way ticket to prison, not to mention the complete destruction of the guild.

With a very heavy ball in his chest, the Dragon Slayer answered. "We shall respect the town's decision and settle someplace else. We do not wish to start causing trouble as soon as we get back."

"That sounds very promising and reasonable." said Belno. "However, there are certain matters we have to address first, matters that can no longer be ignored. Matters that have been brought up by Raven Tail to both us and people of Magnolia, which was the deciding factor in Fairy Tail's banishment."

Laxus threw a quick glance at Jura, who closed his eyes and lowered his head a little. _So this is what he must have been talking about…_

Belno straightened up her paper and continued. "Let's start with the simplest ones – property damage. Your guild is responsible for the destruction of two villages in a matter of three months – Blackhill Village and Stonehill Village. The last one must sound familiar to you."

Laxus clicked his tongue. He was familiar with it all right. He still remembered the houses being set on fire like matches from his very own lightning and his flames, their elements splashing everywhere like water under the shower each time their fists connected.

"It does." he said shortly.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Both villages have been destroyed with the help of your guild, their destruction happening outside of any legal actions, meaning their demise cannot be considered as collateral damage." continued Belno. "Your guild has disappeared before we could make any official statements on this matter, however now that you are here, we can finally deal with it. What do you have to say in your defense?"

Laxus found himself in a pinch. Truth to be told he knew very little of the incident Erza and the others were in, all he could do was try and save his own skin.

"I'm afraid I can't speak for the Blackhill incident, but I can explain the other one." he said truthfully. "Originally I was hired to deal with a problem within the village, however one thing led to another and I was forced to act in self-defense. My attempts of taking the battle outside of the village were ineffective and as such, the village burned. I'm certain I had paid for a portion of the damage caused by the incident with my own money."

Belno looked at the documents. "Again, that is true. It is unfortunate you cannot tell us about Blackhill, however..." she said and scratched something on her papers. "In that case, allow me to get to the other case, one that connects both of these incidents. Salamander."

 _Here we go._ Sighed Laxus internally.

"We are well aware of the agreement we have made with Makarov Dreyar seven years ago." stated Belno. "The deal was to keep the SS-rated criminal Salamander under close watch for a period of five years, with constant monthly reports on his activity that was ordered to be limited to bare minimum expected of a mage. Instead, Makarov has elected Salamander as a candidate for the S-Class Exam, sailed him far away onto a foreign to us island and failed to fulfill his end of the bargain, by not only missing the monthly report, but also missing the deadline of the agreement by two years. As the situation stands right now we have every right to storm your current place of residence and seize him at once, to spend his rightful sentence in jail."

"As I've said before, we were gone for seven years against our will, with no way of breaking out on our own." said Laxus, trying to not facepalm from the stupidity he was being thrown at. "Even if we wanted to, we could never fulfill this deal. We didn't miss it by choice, we missed it, because we had no other choice."

"Quite convenient, isn't it, boy?" threw in Michello. "A magical spirit that seals you away against your will for years, without any proof in sight. Quite the alibi."

"I have absolutely no doubt you'd be able to come up with a better explanation of why an island that was seemingly blown up is back in its place." said Laxus. "I could even take you there myself."

"You insolent little-"

"Silence!" roared Org and repeatedly struck the floor with his staff. "Speech is permitted only to the listener and a Sage leading the questioning. I will not repeat myself."

Michello grit his teeth and drank some water from his cup. Laxus looked at Org, impressed. It looked like the seemingly timid man has grown a backbone in his time of rule.

Belno cleared her throat. "As the situation stands right now, we are fully permitted to take Salamander back, by force if needed. We will not, however, do that, unless the sentence is settled. I consider my questions as answered. Sage Yuri?"

Yuri nodded and turned to Laxus. "I'd like you to tell us about Erza Scarlet and her... _activities_. We were well aware of her impulsive and destructive tendencies, however, we have been told of things we had never heard before. Would you mind filling us in on that?"

"There is nothing I can tell you." said truthfully the Dragon Slayer. "Her actions have been and still are none of my concern. For all I know they are stories."

Yuri arched an eyebrow. "Surely, as her fellow guildmate, you must have heard or seen something you could share with us."

"What I know is most likely what you have already written in your records nine years ago." said Laxus. "The only person who could know more than us is my grandfather, who is comatose. Seeing how you have no proof of Raven Tail's claims and I cannot provide you with any, I think it'd be for the best to close this case."

Yajima smiled under his mustache. Laxus was definitely his grandfather's grandson.

"Yes, that would seem to be the case. For now." agreed Yuri and put his documents away. "That's all from me."

Michello quickly picked up his share of papers and cleared his throat, clearly itching to get to it. "Let me get straight to the main point of this farce of a hearing. Do you want to know how exactly have we come to know of your Founder's fate, Dreyar?"

Laxus shrugged. "Probably written down a hundred years ago."

Michello smirked. "Playing fool at this time...Boy, your grave is getting deeper with each minute. No, we have not come to this information by old records. Mavis' corpse your guild has been keeping under their boot was how we've found out."

Laxus' face expressed shock for the first time he came here. "What?"

"You really want to keep playing this game?" asked Michello with disbelief. "Very well, I'll play along. Upon searching your guildhall, the Council and Raven Tail have found the body of Mavis Vermillion encased in a foreign stone stored in the basement of your guild. This could have been acknowledged as some sort of a weird funeral ceremony, however the stone emitted magic, magic none of us is familiar with. For all we know it is some sort of dark magic known only to your guild."

Laxus felt sweat running down his neck. This was the first time he actually felt cornered since coming here. He knew nothing of anything like this and they had no reason to lie about it, Jura's troubled face confirmed it. Even if he played the card of ignorance, the guild would still be in trouble.

Just when he was about to speak out something in his mind clicked, as if gears started to rapidly turn one another. Why exactly did the Council let a guild help them search his guild? Even before the reform they always did this sort of stuff by themselves. Why the change? Unless…

"Where is this...crystal, now?" he asked.

"Do not answer question with a question." said Michello.

"Raven Tail has it now, doesn't it?"

"I said it once, boy, I shall not repeat myself!" exclaimed Michello, his face red.

"Yes, the crystal remains in the custody of Raven Tail." said Belno.

Michello looked at her, outraged. "I am the one asking questions!"

"And the listener has every right to ask them in return if it means his testimony is to be true and genuine." replied calmly the woman.

This was all he needed to know. Laxus smirked ironically under his nose. That damn old man…He knew something like this existed and used their disappearance as a chance to finally put his dirt hands on it. He would never dare do that when the guild was at full strength.

"I have to say I have no idea what that thing was doing down there." said Laxus. "However, I can definitely say we were not using it to perform dark magic."

"And where exactly is your proof?" asked Michello.

"If we did and you left this thing in Raven Tail's custody, only for them to continue what we were doing, that wouldn't exactly fit your current goal as the pillar that holds this world together, would it?" Laxus asked the whole room. "It would burn down all the trust you've regained io the past seven years."

"What did you say?!" Michello stood up from his chair.

Laxus ignored him and continued to speak to the whole room. "I came here for two reasons. To get information and let you guys know we have come back. I don't care about Raven Tail and what they've found in our basement – that's not my problem. I don't know what Erza did, I don't know what Salamander did. I don't care. If you want answers, talk to my grandfather once he wakes up. Ask me whatever you want, use magic on me, put elixirs in my mouth - my answers will never change. I'm not the Master, I'm a representative. Either acknowledge us as a guild once again or throw me in jail and try to wake my old man to answer in my stead. " he said, completely fed up at this point.

The fifth Sage, one that remained silent this whole time raised his eyebrows and picked up his share of documents. He was rather young, the youngest on the table. He bald, just like Yuri but much less wrinkly on his face.

"That may be true, however what we've discussed is only a tip of the iceberg that was put by Raven Tail before us." he said, his voice monotone, sleepy even. "Your was with Phantom, illegal smuggling of their formers members into your ranks, selfish actions against dark guilds, the destruction of many towns and ports-"

"All of those have already been discussed with you in the past. Some of those by me." cut him off Laxus. "The only difference is that this was shown to the public by Raven Tail years later."

The unnamed Sage nodded and put his papers away. Seeing that the situation was starting to slip out of his hand, Michello tried to bring up another fact that could bring Fairy Tail down.

Before he could do so, however, Jura raised his hand and spoke out. "Chairman, may I please have a word?"

"Yes Saint Jura, you may." said the elder.

Jura stood up and addressed the higherups. "I cannot argue with any reports of property damage and actions of some of their members, but Fairy Tail has acted in favor of the magic world on many occasions. They have seen into the destruction of three biggest threats of the Baram Alliance and helped reclaim the Council from the hands of those, who wished to use it to destroy the world as we know. If we disband them right now because of rumors we cannot provide any proof of as of right now, we will spit in their face and everything they have done for us. For the people. Chairman, I plead you to consider holding back with the decision of disbanding Fairy Tail, at least until Saint Dreyar returns to full health."

Org watched Jura for a good minute, considering his proposal. After a while he broke the eye contact and stood up. "Fully agreed. Fairy Tail will continue to operate as an active guild until Saint Dreyar provides us with necessary explanation. Those, who disagree with this decision, raise your hands."

Michello quickly raised his short arm and so did a few of the other present members. Laxus quickly looked around the room and felt relief fill his chest – less than a half disagreed with Org.

Considering the matter to be closed, Org struck the floor with his staff. "It's been decided. Laxus Dreyar, your guild will continue to remain a part of the magic world. For now, at least." he said. "I also order an investigation of Mavis Vermillion's body, overlooked by the Captain of 12th Division. He shall appoint a team that will deal with this matter. Inform Raven Tail of this event immediately. That is all for now. You are free, Laxus Dreyar."

Laxus bowed gently and turned around to take his leave. Although he felt relief, he knew trouble has only just begun. Their execution has only been postponed and now they had to deal with his good old dad, who was definitely trying to pull some shit.

"Give me a damn break..." he sighed tiredly as he exited the room.

* * *

Wendy and Levy strolled back home through the forest, both lost in thoughts. The younger girl could not get rid of the image of that burning flag, chanting still echoing in her ears. Sheer thought brought her to the brink of tears. Tears she would successfully fight back, her resolve to change things around getting stronger by the minute.

"Let's tell everyone what we've learned as soon as we get home. We can decide our next move tomorrow, when everyone gathers around." she said to Levy.

Levy blinked, surprised by the initiative she was taking. "Uh...sure. Do you have any idea how we could do that, though?"

"We have to clear our name first. I...I'm not sure how, but we can't leave things the way they are."

Levy smiled. "Yeah. You're right."

The girls crossed the already familiar bushes, their home greeting them in the night light. Just before front door sat Lucy, who snapped her head up upon spotting them. She quickly got up and ran up to the girls, her face worried.

"Wendy, quick, you have to get inside!" she called and grabbed the girl by the wrist, dragging her inside. Levy ran after them, worried.

The trio entered the house, the living room crowded with people. On the couch laid Natsu, still unconscious, Erza by his side. She continued to change the towels on his forehead, which were now being soaked in hot water to warm him up. At the girl's sight the redhead sighed in relief, some color returning to her pale face.

The table was occupied by Mirajane and Gray, both of whom returned from their hunt, their prey stuffed in the kitchen. They both looked relieved to see Wendy. Gray's side was taken by a woman Wendy did not recognize, who stood up from her chair and walked up to her with a smile.

"You must be Wendy." said Ultear and reached out her hand. "I'm Ultear, nice to meet you."

Wendy shyly returned the handshake, her eyes landing back on Natsu almost immediately. "What happened?"

Erza frowned sadly. "His body broke down this afternoon, soon after you left. We-"

"Perhaps it would be for the best for me to explain." said softly Ultear. Erza hesitated for a moment, but nodded and went back to tending to the Dragon Slayer.

And so Ultear explained everything to Wendy, detail after detail, not sparing her from the pressure of her idea. All of this dwelled on Wendy but did not break her, as she asked for every possible detail she needed to know.

"In other words..." she repeated what she'd learned, her face pale and voice quiet. "You want me to use my magic to make sure his level of damage stays the same until you're done with your procedure, and a single moment of distraction could kill him, is that right?"

Ultear grimaced a little, now that she heard what she just asked this little girl for. "Yes, that's basically it. Under normal circumstances you would not be needed, but he is dying as we speak. We need someone to keep him alive through the procedure if he is to make it.

Wendy took a deep breath through her nose. Carla walked up to her and put her paw on the girl's hand.

"You can do this." she said softly. "I know this is scary, but you can do it child. You're stronger than you think."

"She's right." said Lucy. "We're all here to help. You won't be alone."

Wendy blinked slowly and sighed deeply once again. "My mind was set the moment I learned what happened." she declared. She got off her chair and walked up to Natsu. "I just needed to focus. Give me a few minutes to make his condition more stable, Ultear, then we can begin. Everyone else, please hold him tight when it happens, if he as much as touches me it will be the end."

Ultear nodded and took her robe off. She pulled out one of her orbs and light it up, preparing herself for the procedure.

Gray and Mira walked away from the table and positioned themselves by Natsu's legs, ready to pin them down when needed. Lucy and Erza took care of his shoulders.

"While they're doing their part, tell us what you've learned in the town." Juvia told Levy. The smaller bluenette nodded and walked aside with Juvia, Cana, and Lisanna, to not distract Wendy.

Wendy closed her eyes and took one last deep breath, before putting her hands over Natsu's chest and lighting them up, her magic doing its work already. She opened her eyes, her face scowling a little, the image of dying Gildarts still imprinted on her mind.

 _I will not let anyone die ever again._ She declared in her mind. The light around her hands increased in size, her resolve influencing her healing. Natsu's self inflicted wounds have already started to close, taking some strain away from his body, color returning to his skin.

 _I will keep getting stronger, so that I can be strong enough to protect everyone close to me. Just like her._

 _Just like Grandeeney._

 **End of Chapter 33. To be continued in Chapter 34: Feelings.**


	35. Feelings

**August 18th X791, Fairy Tail's home.**

Two hours have passed ever since Wendy and Levy returned from Magnolia. It was starting to get really late, last minutes of the day ticking away on the clock.

Gray sat down by the kitchen table and reached out for Mira's unfinished bottle of booze, gulping it down like water without giving a damn about the burning sensation in his throat. He took his lips off the bottle and sighed loudly, wiping his mouth with his burned right hand, his magic already trying to cool it down.

It's been an hour since his ears have gotten used to Natsu's yelling, his throat already torn and voice beyond broken. The procedure turned out to be something taken straight out of a horror movie, as the Dragon Slayer was rendered in a consistent state of agony that gave him strength he most likely never had, even when in full health.

Everyone who took a part in holding him down has been hit to some extent, some more than others. Gray's hand was kicked away by a flaming foot, Lucy was clawed across her left forearm, Mira got kicked in the nose, and Erza took quite possibly more blows than all of them combined, her lip cut and bleeding.

Still, despite all that, none of them showed any signs of annoyance, or hostility toward the Dragon Slayer, though Mira did wish him good health with a devilish smirk, just so she could smack him back. Despite their injuries, their resolve to get him better remained strong.

Ultear continued to slowly work her magic, focused. Due to Natsu's already critical state, the procedure was taking longer than supposed to.

"Despite everything that happened in the past two hours, everything is going great." said the time mage. "We're already past the halfway point. You're doing a great job, Wendy!"

Wendy, who was consistently healing Natsu's broken body nodded weakly. She was sweating and panting heavily, fatigue catching up to her. She already slipped once or twice, which nearly cost them the entire procedure. Her magic was running on fumes and she knew it.

Gray swung the bottle one more time and put it aside, getting back up to replace Juvia, who took his place.

"Alright, switch." he told her and shooed her away with his head.

The rain woman nodded hesitantly and stepped aside, but not without expressing how worried she was.

"Perhaps it'd be better to hold him down with magic?" she suggested. "Someone could get really hurt..."

"That's out of the question." shot her down Ultear. "As he is right now even the weakest of spells could be lethal. If Gray were to freeze him to the couch, he'd most likely freeze to death. Right now he's slipping between the boundaries that separate mages from non-mages. Magic is lethal to non-magical humans."

"You heard her." grumbled Gray and pressed Natsu's right leg down as hard as he could. "No way around this."

"I'm sorry to ask, but could you change with me, Juvia?" asked Lucy from opposite end of the couch. "I'd like to at least take a drink."

"Yes, of course."

Lucy smiled in gratitude and let the rain woman take her place by Natsu's left shoulder. She sighed tiredly and crossed the kitchen to grab some water.

Before she could lift the glass to her lips she was interrupted by loud knocking. Cautious, she put it down and put her hand on her keys.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"Open up. It's me." replied an annoyed voice from the other side.

Recognizing the voice to be Gajeel's and sighing in relief, Lucy unlocked the door and let him in, Elfman and the Exceeds following them in suit.

"Y'know, it's kinda hard for me to get lost." said the annoyed Dragon Slayer. "Sending these two after me was pointless." he said and pointed at Elfman with his thumb. "And who the hell is yelling..."

Only now did he notice what was going on, four people holding screaming Natsu down while a stranger stood over him like some sort of a priestess on a funeral.

"The hell?" he frowned.

"I'll explain later. Did you find her?" asked Lucy with hope.

Both men shook their heads, which made Lucy's heart drop.

"We've found her house, but it looked...bad." said Elfman truthfully. "We didn't find any signs or smells of violence, but the place looked like a bomb went off. Books everywhere, furniture broken...Looked like someone went through it some time ago. No sign of the old lady, either."

Gajeel walked across the room and grabbed Lucy's water, gulping it down in a second. He sighed in relief and put the glass down. "No sign of her in the area, either. We covered a 10km radius – nothing."

Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose. Even if it wasn't for Natsu she could still help Master, whose condition, although stable, was not the best.

"Mind explainin' what the hell is going on in here?" asked Gajeel. "Why is he yelling like that and who are these people?"

Lisanna narrowed her eyes and looked at her brother. "You didn't tell him?"

Elfman raised his hands apologetically. "I didn't want to spread panic! Besides, he was already done when we found him! And we hurried back, too!"

The girl sighed and addressed the Dragon Slayer. "Me and Levy will fill you in. Come to the other room, it's...more quiet in there."

Gajeel sighed and followed the girls upstairs but not before giving Jellal a suspicious eye.

"What a pain in the ass..."

 **First minutes of August 19th, Raven Tail'S HQ**

A tall, well built man opened the door to the guild with way more noise than it was necessary, his excited chuckle echoing across the almost empty hall.

He was of slightly darker than usual carnation, with white, spiky hair that was not too long in length, his gray eyes reflecting the light of the torches he passed by.

"Hey, have you guys heard it?! Well, have you?!" he roared on top of his lungs while crossing down the hall.

Four figures were present in the not so quiet anymore guildhall, three of them by the bar and one in the corner by themselves.

A young girl with shoulder-length dirty blonde hair covered her ears and grimaced in annoyance.

"Do you ever stop yelling, Albert?" she groaned. "And for the love of everything that's holy on this world, take this disgusting thing off before I use my magic on it." she added, pointing at the vest on his torso. It was red in color, with a white big skull painted on the back, with two smaller ones on each shoulder. It was unbuttoned and had no sleeves.

The giant's smile was knocked off his face, giving in to an insulted frown. "I'll take it off when you cut your hair the proper way, Ellia. Do you use a ruler when you do it?"

Ellia scoffed and turned away, putting her fingers through her bangs that were cut in a line just above her golden eyes. "As if someone like you could understand what stylish means."

"Why you-"

"Now, now, let's not fight amongst each other." laughed a young man with slightly sharpened teeth and black hair that gently reached past his shoulders, messy and combed. "What is it that you wanted to tell us about, Albert?"

The giant beamed again, his chiseled jaw gleaming in the gentle light and sat down next to his friend, who passed him a bottle of beer. He opened it with his teeth and gulped half of the bottle down in one go, before putting it down on the counter, making lots of noise once again.

"Fairy Tail, they've returned!" he announced.

Ellia arched an eyebrow from the other side of the counter. "Did you just find out? Do you ever listen to Master?" she scoffed and took a sip from her glass of whiskey. "They've been back for at least a day now."

Albert's expression dropped again. "Oh, so you all knew already?"

"You were on a job, were you not, Albert?" asked him the sharp-teethed man. "Hard for you to know about something so recent when out of town, right?"

Albert looked at him and raised his bottle. "That I did, Svenar. Wiped the floor with those mountain bandits!"

Svenar laughed and gently hit his bottle against the giant's. "What, did you have no compassion for fellow outlaws? No nostalgia?"

Albert snorted in amusement. "Such amateurs had no right to call themselves bandits in the first place! So many mistakes! I'm surprised they operated in that area for as long as they did!"

Ellia sighed tiredly and pulled out a coin from the pocket of her suit. It had a very bizarre design, her sleeves being definitely oversized in comparison to the rest of her attire. "You should have joined them, you know? Showed them how to properly terrorize farmers and gang up on people on the roads to take their last money."

Albert put down his bottle and looked at the girl. "Have I done anything to upset you, Ellia?" he asked, genuinely hurt by her constant remarks.

The girl shrugged. "Not really, I'm just tired. Part of the reason my mood is so shitty. Sorry if I hurt your feelings." she said and bent the coin in half with ease, playing with it. "More importantly, now that all of us are here, what should we do? About Fairy Tail, that is."

Another woman who was sitting right next to Ellia put down her tea cup. She had long dark-blue hair that reached the middle of her back, her long bangs neatly tugged behind her left ear. She was wearing a white uniform that heavily resembled that worn by the Council, except hers consisted of a creamy jacket that perfectly captured her figure, creamy pants and knee-tall brown leather boots. Her waist was dosed with a black belt, a longsword placed by her left hip.

"I don't think there is anything for us to do, Ellia." she said and adjusted her glasses. "We haven't received any orders yet. As things are right now, they are in a lost position."

Ellia tossed the coin in the air and caught it, before spinning on her chair to her right to face the woman. "Come on, Emilia. Don't you want to get back at them for what they've done? We all do, you know."

"My grudge is aimed at one person only, not the entire guild. I do not care about them." said calmly Emilia.

"To be fair, most of us got a thing for just one of them." pointed out Svenar. "But I wouldn't mind seeing the whole guild burn. I say we pay them a visit after we finish tomorrow's job."

Albert grinned. "Now that's an idea I can get behind! I've been itching for a challenge!"

"Morons agree with me." said Ellia with a smirk. "Hey, you! What do you say?" she called out to the fifth figure sitting in the corner of the hall. Having received no answer, the girl sighed. "Why do we even keep this kid around..."

Emilia raised her cup once again. "You're free to go, but do not think I will cover for you."

The blonde put her arm over the older girl and leaned on her. "Come on...You know you want to come. Your brow frowns when you're lying, you know?" she giggled and pointed at her forehead. "Besides..." she moved her hand to slide it across Emilia's face. "Don't you want to pay her back? Or at least ask _why_?"

Emilia slapped Ellia's hand, which made the girl pout. She put her cup down and looked ahead of herself, the scar on her right cheek glowing in the fire.

"Of course I do."

* * *

 **An hour later**

Wendy's breath was heavy, sweat dripping down from her chin. She was running on fumes and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. Carla suggested she ate air, but even that had its limits.

Natsu's procedure has still to be completed and it filled the girl with complete dread. She was literally the only reason he was still alive and she was just about to give out.

"I...I can't do this." she admitted in a broken voice. "My magic...it's almost gone."

Ultear gasped and bit her lip. They still weren't done. She _could_ speed up the process, but the risk was too high. If she sped up just a touch too much…

Erza's face paled. As nervous and terrified she was, she knew it was by no means Wendy's fault. She's been continuously pumping her magic out for almost three hours, it was a miracle she was still conscious.

"Is there anything you can do?" Lucy asked Ultear. "Anything we could do to make her last until the end?"

"I'm afraid I do not know the answer." said sadly Ultear.

"What about tincan?" asked Gray. "Laxus gave Natsu his magic that one time and it brought him back into the fight. It could work!"

"I'm pretty sure the only reason it worked for them was because they already did it once in the past." stated Mira. "And from what I've heard it happened through consumption. I doubt Wendy could eat iron."

"Not to mention, that even though their magic is basically the same, a rejection is still possible." added Meredy. "It could end in a catastrophy."

Wendy's eyes grew misty, a grunt of frustration escaping her mouth. She grit her teeth in effort to not lose focus, her magic already blinking on and off, only a few steps away from running out.

"What am I supposed to do..." she asked herself quietly, panic kicking in. "Natsu..."

All of a sudden she felt something warm touch her back. Something strong, and yet gentle. She turned around only to see Erza's smiling face, her hands on Wendy's back. Before she could express her confusion, Wendy felt magic slowly returning to her body, courtesy of Erza, who was now pumping her own magic into the girl.

"Huh?" muttered the girl, greatly shock at seeing her healing aura grow thrice in size in an instance.

"Looks like we're compatible." sighed the redhead in relief and grimaced a second later. "Though I do have to say, I'm really impressed, Wendy...being able to endure this horrible feeling...It's even worse than magic cars."

Ultear was just about to scold the knight but simply sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe you people...If you weren't compatible with one another, you could have killed her, you know." she told Erza. "There's a lot I have to say to you right now, but for now just focus on the task ahead. If my calculations are correct we should be closing in to the end. Be mindful, however – your magic will be sucked dry before you know it."

Erza nodded and straightened her posture, getting comfortable behind Wendy. She narrowed her eyes and focused, her magic going through Wendy like electricity through a wire.

She wouldn't dare to admit it to anyone, but a part of her felt as if she herself was the one healing Natsu right now. Well, technically it was her magic that ran through Wendy's body right now so that statement wouldn't be too stretched, but...it felt _special_. To her.

A couple minutes later the results could be seen and heard, much to everyone's relief. Natsu was no longer throwing himself around, nor was he screaming, now limiting himself to groans and grimaces.

Mira let go of his leg and wiped her forehead, sighing tiredly. "That felt much longer than it took."

Gray stretched his arms over his head and moaned in relief. "Tell me about it...For a second I really did consider freezing him to the couch. Good thing Juvia suggested it before I made any moves...It'd have been awkward." he laughed nervously and walked into the kitchen with Mira, Lucy trailing behind them.

"It's a good thing you have her." pointed out the blonde. "This isn't the first time she saved your skin, one way or another. You could at least stop treating her like air, or worse!"

"Damn right. That girl is being wasted on you." added Mirajane.

"Give me a break..."

Erza smirked under her nose, now sitting on a chair just behind Wendy. Just fifteen minutes ago they were all on the edge, and now that things have finally looked promising, they were bantering with one another and cracking jokes. It may not have been a long time, but she'd missed this. This warm atmosphere. This sensation of being home.

She gently wiped her mouth into the sleeve of her t-shirt, her sweat leaving a wet mark. Although it's been only fifteen minutes, she was already feeling fatigued. Ultear wasn't lying – letting someone else use her magic was one hell of a challenge.

With each passing minute her respect for Wendy grew more and more, disbelief creeping somewhere in there, too. True, it must have been a different sensation for her, since her magic was different, however the amount of focus and concentration that went into the process of healing another person was beyond anything she ever had to experience. Even bringing out her strongest, toughest armors did not require such dedication as this.

And yet, she didn't hate this feeling at all. Not one bit.

Every single drop of sweat, every grimace of her face – they were all proof of how much it meant to her to heal this man. To see him stand on his own feet again, free of any pain. To talk to her, to smile at her…

It was the same for Wendy, too. Although they haven't known each other for long, she felt a weird brotherly connection with the older Slayer, one that was a bit different from the one she shared with Gray and others. Perhaps it was the bonds they shared as children of dragons, or because he showed her that it was not hard to be brave. She herself didn't know, however, the time they spent together was an experience of its own, something she couldn't forget, even if she wanted to.

It wasn't just their magic that was being pumped into his still limp body. It was their feelings as well, and perhaps that may have had better effect on him than magic itself.

After yet another hour Ultear's face finally relaxed, as she cracked a small and tired smile.

"It's over!" she announced happily to everyone in the room. "It was a success!"

Gray and Lucy quickly ran up to the couch. Natsu's face has finally resembled that of a human being, as he slept peacefully for the first time in what felt like eternity. They sighed in relief and highfived each other, grinning like idiots.

Lucy beamed and turned to Erza and Wendy. "Hey, isn't that great?! Er-"

She quickly raised her hands to shut her mouth. Both girls were already sleeping, exhausted, but glad. Erza was leaning on Wendy's small figure, a weak smile on her face. Wendy basically passed out in her chair, her head pressed against Erza's, as both girls snored gently from fatigue.

Smiling at the sight, Lucy put her finger on her lips and quietly signalised everyone to leave the room, pointing at the stairs with her other hand. As Crime Sorciere and everyone else left the room, Mira looked at the sighed and snorted in amusement.

"You're still drooling in your sleep, eh?" she muttered quietly to Erza and shook her head. She grabbed a blanket and gently threw it over Erza and Wendy, before leaving the room as well, closing the door behind her.

They all made their way to the second floor, where Lucy turned to Ultear and the others.

"Thank you. You have no idea how much your help means to us." she said and shook the woman's hand.

Ultear smiled and put her other hand on Lucy's. "There is no need to be so formal. It was nothing. I'm glad I could help."

Lucy nodded and addressed Meredy and Jella. "Why don't you stay the night? You must be tired and it's rather late by now."

Jellal quickly raised his hands. "No, thank you. We have to move-"

"Gladly." said Meredy, making sure her voice was louder than his.

Jellal looked at her, not amused. "Meredy..."

"It's just one night." shrugged the girl. "No one knows we're here and who knows, maybe Ul will be needed again." she continued, making sure to blink at Fairy Tail to let them know she was just messing around, much to their relief.

"Truth to be told, I could use some rest." wondered Ultear out loud.

Seeing that he was outnumbered, Jellal sighed and nodded. "Very well.. We'll stay the night."

Lucy beamed and clapped her hands. "Great!

"I'll be sleeping outside." announced Gajeel with a yawn. "Can't stand the crowd."

"Make sure not to wake them up." said Levy.

"I know." he threw shortly and opened the window, jumping out a second later, Pantherlily flying after him.

"I guess that makes two free beds, then." Lucy counted on her fingers. "Where to put one of you..."

Jellal raised his hands. "Do not bother yourself. I will also be outside. I'm not that sleepy and we're used to keeping watch over night. It's my turn today."

The blonde frowned gently. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Ultear shook her head gently. "No use trying to convince him. he's as stubborn as a mule."

"I prefer dedicated, thank you."

With that said, Jellal wished them all good night and gently walked down the stairs. He threw a short glance at the sleeping trio, before smiling gently and walking out of the house, quietly closing the door behind himself.

With that cleared out, everyone else left for their beds, going to sleep without much talking.

The night went by smoothly, as well as quietly. Ultear and Meredy took Levy and Gajeel's room, with the bluenette going to Lucy's, now that Erza's bed was temporarily empty.

The redhead herself was still sleeping downstairs, her upper half now pressing against Natsu's legs. In the night Wendy woke up in need of toilet and gently slipped out of Erza's iron hug, gently putting her down on the sleeping Dragon Slayer instead. Since she did not come back into the living room after taking care of her business, Erza stayed that way for the remainder of the night.

Her face grimaced gently, her body twitching, consciousness returning to her mind. She slowly opened her eyes, still tired, both physically and mentally, from previous night's adventures.

She turned her neck straight, an unpleasant stiff sensation awakening her nerves upon doing so. With a groan, Erza lifted herself up and stretched, relaxing all the tension she'd build up from sleeping in this uncomfortable position.

She sighed in relief and looked at Natsu, who was still sleeping. His face was relaxed, not bothered by any pain or discomfort whatsoever. He looked tired but that was to be expected. Almost dying does that to a person.

Erza got up from her chair and stretched one more time, before gently crossing the kitchen to get some water. She filled the glass up to the half-point and gulped it in one go, the cold sensation pleasantly coating her throat and windpipe, almost as if filling her with life.

Feeling much better already she put the glass down and returned to the couch, Natsu still sleeping, not woken up by her shenanigans. She plopped back onto her chair and gently put her hand on his forehead. He was warm. Glad that he no longer felt like a corpse, Erza smiled and took her hand back, now simply watching him sleep in silence.

Although it wasn't that long in real time, it felt like days. She knew that he was not okay from the very moment he broke his limits once again, she could see him worsen with each passing hour. She knew it'd happen sooner or later and when it did...she was still not ready.

Confused would be the perfect word to describe her ever since they woke up on the island. Unsure of what to do next, how to approach things. Now that she recalled the past few days, she felt shame, anger that was aimed at her and her only.

A part of her couldn't blame her. She never experienced this sort of a situation, panic was self-explanatory. She knew this had to be addressed at one point, at some other time...But time was not a luxury she could spare.

Watching him throw himself around like that, screaming in agony, hurting himself just so the pain would stop...There was a time she wasn't sure who was in more pain – her, or him. She knew it was selfish and ridiculous, a part of the reason behind her current self-loathing.

However, no matter how much she hated herself for it, there was one thing Erza could not deny. That this brutal event helped her finally come to terms with her own mind.

The thought of losing him filled every fiber of her being with genuine horror and despair. She couldn't understand what caused this to happen herself. Was it the shared childhood tragedy? Or maybe their shared mental scars they tried to justify with personification? As accurate as they both were, they were not the answer. If she were to choose, it'd be the time they had spent together.

It may not have been long, true, but for the first time in years she could finally feel vulnerable around someone, both emotionally and strength-wise. Being one step behind someone was not only a humbling experience, but also a perfect opportunity to polish her skills even more, granting her the strength she had always wanted.

However, no matter how grateful she was for that, Erza treasured the emotional part of their relationship much more than the physical one. Even when they only knew each other as enemies he somehow managed to become her endline, her goal in finding courage to face the monster that was her past. She struggled with trust for years and yet he somehow managed to bypass almost every block she had and get deeper into her soul than anyone ever could.

Erza smiled warmly at the sleeping Dragon Slayer. She could feel it building up for some time now, and truth to be told, it scared her. She'd catch herself trying to kill it before it could lay eggs, only to succeed for just a day or two, before finding herself in the same hole again.

She never was good at lying to herself, a part of why she kept failing so frequently. However, no matter how many times she lost, it still remained as her personal secret, one she never thought of sharing with anyone. Until he said it for her.

Confusion could not begin to describe how she felt when she heard him say it, the moment seemingly the last they would ever share together. At the time, as well as for a while after that, it filled her with fear. But no more.

Erza smiled and gently put her hand on Natsu's, her smaller hand trying to cover his in its entirety. As horrible as it would sound out loud, she had one reason to be glad this horrible incident from yesterday happened. It helped her clear her mind and come true with her feelings, for the first time in years.

With no fear, or doubts in her mind, Erza gently squeezed his hand, almost as if trying to subconsciously wake him up, and as she recalled the words he said to her on Tenrou Island, she let her mind speak for itself, the control over her body already gone.

"I love you too." she said truthfully, a ghost of a blush taking over her cheeks. She knew he couldn't hear it, but that was fine. She always did things better after some practice.

To her immediate horror, Natsu smiled. The red escaped from her skin, now giving in to pure white. Erza held her breath, awaiting some sort of a followup, but none came. He continued to sleep, not aware of what was going on around him.

Erza breathed out in relief and smiled at him again. Perhaps it was a sign of his mind being at peace after those long few days.

After a few more minutes, the knight let go of his hand and stood up, willing to get some fresh air. She threw one more look at him, before stepping out of the house.

In the meantime, the door to the second floor opened gently, with Lucy and Gray peeking out, making sure the coast was clear. Seeing that she was gone, they opened the door and grinned at one another, before bumping their closed fists.

"About damn time." snickered Gray.

"It sure was. "sighed Lucy. "That was so sweet! I never knew Erza could be like that!" she squeaked, before giving Gray a confused look. "Why are you so happy about it, though? I never took you for the romantic type."

"If they get together, then he will be able to control her, meaning she will finally get off my back whenever we're out on jobs." smirked Gray and walked into the kitchen to get some water.

Lucy's face dropped. "You do realise our team will still be named Team Erza, right?"

"And guess _who_ will have control over that Erza."

"You are so _adorably_ naive..."

The two continued to bicker in the kitchen, both drinking their water, before being interrupted by another voice.

"Could you...pipe it down, please?"

Gray choked on his water, his head snapping to the couch alongside Lucy's. There was Natsu, awake and irritated, his hand massaging his burning eyes.

"O-oh, hey!" choked out Lucy. "Did we wake you up?"

Natsu stopped massaging his eyes and looked away, embarrassed. "No, I was...I was awake before."

Gray snorted into his hand, which earned him a slapped from Lucy. He looked at her and motioned his head tat their teammate, which Lucy took as a _oh well, might as well roll with it_ sign.

The pair walked around the couch, with Gray plopping down on Erza's chair. "So, how you feeling?"

"Like shit." groaned Natsu. "At least I no longer feel like my insides are melting."

"You know, with how much you were yelling, I wouldn't be surprised if that really was the case." laughed nervously Gray. "Took us some effort to keep you down...You burned me, Lucy, and Mira."

"Oh, sorry."

"Stop it Gray." Lucy slapped the back of his head. "You know he didn't mean it. I don't hold it against you, okay?" she added with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, thanks."

Gray massaged his head and took a good look at Natsu's face, squinting a little while doing so.

"Hey, Lucy, come check this out." he said.

The blonde blinked and walked around the couch. "What?"

Gray pointed at Natsu's face with his finger. "You see that?" he asked.

It took her a second, but Lucy's eyes widened gently in realisation. "Oh, yes, yes I do!"

"What the hell are you doing?" grumbled annoyed Natsu.

Gray and Lucy grinned at one another and looked at him with smug faces. "I think it may have been all of that Wendy's healing, but that scar on your face looks better than it used to, at least a little." pointed out Lucy.

"Good thing for Erza, I guess." added Gray with a snicker. "After all, from now on you gotta start paying attention to what you look like."

Natsu felt heat rise up to his face. He sharply looked away and mumbled something to himself, his teammates laughing at his embarrassment.

"I'm gonna kick your ass once I'm out of bed." he grumbled.

"Well, good thing we still have a few days to prepare for it, then." laughed Gray.

Erza, who was just outside the door, heard laughter coming from inside. She didn't happen to catch what was the reason of said laughter, but she didn't really care. Just hearing something so positive brought a smile to her face. For a second she felt like she could be forgiven for forgetting just how lost they were at the moment.

She took a deep breath, morning, fresh air filling up her lungs, leaving a pleasant chip inside her chest. She loved the smell of the forest, ever since she was a girl.

She walked up front the house, stretching her legs a little. The corner of her eye caught movement and upon looking in said direction her eyes met Jellal's, who was sitting up against the side wall of the house.

After a short, awkward moment of silence, Jellal broke it. "Good morning." he said, standing up from his spot.

Erza nodded, not replying in kind. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice coming out rougher than she meant it.

"There wasn't enough beds for us all." he said truthfully. "So I decided to watch the area for the night. It's a system we use with Ultear and Meredy, so I'm used to it."

"I see."

Silence fell once again. Erza knew, that he no longer was the man, who used to haunt her in her dreams at night, but she still couldn't warm up to him. Still, it could be called an improvement – she no longer felt like killing him on the spot.

"I think we should talk." said the man. "Put an end to this."

Erza blinked. "What do you mean by 'this'?"

"The way things are between us at the moment." he said and walked up to the knight.

Erza took a step back. "I don't think there is anything to talk about. The damage is already done."

Jella stopped trying to approach her. "And that's precisely what I want to talk about."

"By now you should already realise I will never forget what you've done."

"And I don't want you to."

Erza's eyes widened a little. "Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"

Jellal sighed through his nose and looked at his feet. "I am well aware who I was and what I did. I'll never be able to forget that, pretend it never happened. And I don't want to. I want this stain to stay on me until the day I die."

Erza frowned. "What for?"

He looked her in the eyes. "So that I never stray off my path ever again. So that I can try and take people off the road that led me to that point. I want people to know who I was and hate me for it, for that is what I deserve. This is my punishment. Now, it's time for me to write a new chapter for myself, one that will leave an impression of equal strength as the previous one. One not clouded by darkness."

Erza scoffed. "You want to become a martyr? You want redemption?"

"No deed will ever bring me redemption for what I did." Jellal shook his head. "I have considered suicide for a long time, even after being broken out by Ultear. However, I have realised, that my death would not change anything. Even if I died, all I would accomplish with this deed would be a sigh of relief of those I've hurt, followed by thanks to the Gods spoken under their noses. So, even if I can't change how they feel about me, I can still make a difference for someone else, this time without causing them pain. I know I deserve everything I get, and even more. That being said, I do not intend on stopping my attempts at making this world a better place. As ironic as it sounds."

The redhead scowled. She turned toward him and walked up closer, much to his surprise. "What is it you want from me? What's the point in telling me this?" she asked sharply.

Although intimidated, Jellal stood his ground and did not break eye contact. He clenched his fists and spoke his mind out in a sharp, confident fashion.

"I want you to watch me and see, that my words are true. That I am no longer bound by chains of darkness and instead want to chase said darkness away. The very same that destroyed me, you, Salamander, and many other people, who shared the same fate as we did as children."

Erza looked all over his face. She didn't spot anything that could trigger her suspicion. He looked like a man, whose mind was long set on something. Which looked like to be the case.

She breathed out through her nose. "Even if you manage to earn my forgiveness, which I find very hard to believe, I will never be able to forget what you've done. Not just to me that time at the Tower, but to others as well. Simon, Millianna, Sho...All the people you've seen come and go as a Commandment. And not just me – their families will never look at you with kind eyes."

Jellal nodded. "I am well aware. However, as true as that may be, I still want them to watch me, and make of it whatever they want to do."

Erza sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will watch your development from now on."

Jellal smiled. "Thank you. That's all I wanted." he said, the sun finally starting to peek from behind the trees, bathing them in its warmth.

A few hours later everyone was already on their feet, now gathered in the living room. Natsu went back to sleep after his brief moment of consciousness, his body now naturally recovering from its injuries.

"If my calculations are correct, he should be up and running in around 2 to 3 days." said Ultear. "But I do suggest he doesn't overdo it again. I doubt his bodies has any more spares."

Erza smiled and bowed gently. "Thank you, for everything. I will be forever grateful to you."

Ultear raised her hands, flushed. "Please, don't be so formal. I'm not used to being thanked like that."

"Well, about damn time, then." said Gray with a smirk. Ultear smiled at him in return.

"I do have one more favor to ask for, however." said slowly Erza. "Second Origin...do you think you could awaken it for all of us as well?"

Ultear blinked, surprised. "Yes, I could. Since none of you are in a dangerous condition, my presence would not be necessary after properly setting my magic...But why?"

"Although to us it's been only a few days, the reality is much more brutal. We have lost seven years of time, time during which everyone and everything else have gone forward. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'd like to quickly catch up. We need to." explained the redhead.

Ultear's face dropped a little. "Raven Tail, huh?" she hummed "Okay, then. If that's what you want, then let's begin. We really should be on our way soon." she said and took her cloak off again.

"Thank you." nodded Erza and turned to her guild. "Who is with me?"

Mirajane, Gray, and Lucy all raised their hands in an instance. Right after them was Wendy, Gajeel, and Elfman, with Juvia awkwardly joining in as last.

"I-I think I'll pass." sweatdropped Lisanna. "I doubt it'd do me anything good anyway..."

"Me too." added Levy eagerly.

Cana shrugged. "You might as well use it on me, too. Some more magic wouldn't hurt. I was thinking about training more anyway."

Ultear nodded. "Very well. Everyone, come forth. Let's begin, there's no time to waste."

* * *

 **August 21st, Fairy Tail's home.**

Lucy opened the door to her room, her whole body sore and aching. With an annoyed and painful groan she climbed down the stairs, her throat as dry as the desert.

It's been almost 2 days since they had their Second Origin awakened and some still lacked the strength to do any sort of productive work. Levy and Lisanna were unfortunate enough to have to take care of 8 people, all of them either screaming or grunting from pain on the floor for a couple hours.

Lucy sighed again and entered the kitchen. Erza was already sitting there with Mirajane, both of them drinking some morning tea. Lucy's eyebrow arched at their carefree faces, jealous of their inhuman bodies.

"Oh. Good morning, Lucy." said Erza with a smile. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yeah, I'll grab some water in the meantime, too." said the blonde and took a glass out from the cabinet. "I knew it way before, but you both are monsters. I can barely move, and here you are, cheerful and all healthy."

Erza laughed gently while pouring Lucy's cup of tea. "I'm glad I look that way, but I am also still shaken up. I wouldn't say I'm at my best, especially in my legs."

Mira nodded. "Same, but for me it's arms. I feel like I've been benchpressing something for half a day."

She knew it was quite bitter of her, but hearing their struggles made Lucy feel better. She sat down with her water and drank it in one go, life filling her body once again.

"Gotta say, I don't feel that much different." pointed out Mira.

"Our bodies must be still adjusting to the changes." said Erza from behind her cup. "The first few days should be dedicated to rest, according to Ultear. Changes should come after that."

"Huh. Alright."

Lucy looked at Natsu, who was still bound to the couch. He hasn't woken up in two days, ever since they talked.

"I wonder how long he's gonna be out for." she wondered. "Laxus and the others are taking long, too. I hope nothing happened."

"If it was the Council they'd already be here." said Mirajane. "He's probably taking care of some business, might be on his way back already."

"Well, making up for seven lost years surely cannot be done in a matter of a day or two." said Erza. "They are definitely doing fine. The one I'm worried about is Master. He's still to wake up."

Mira and Lucy frowned sadly. Although they've managed to prevent his leg from being amputated, it would never be the same. A cane or a wheelchair were bound to become a part of his daily attire. According to Ultear, who took a quick glance at him before leaving, his body must have shut down from all the consecutive injuries he sustained on Tenrou. Whether he'd wake up was up to him.

"There's also this matter of Raven Tail that must be addressed." added the redhead "The way Levy told me about it...It sounded as if Ivan had planned every step, one by one. It pains me to admit this, but he has us beat in every aspect possible. As we are right now, we cannot oppose him."

Mira spat to the side. "I still think we should pay them a visit and knock that stupid mustache off his ugly mug. I'd gladly be the one to do it."

Erza looked at her, annoyed. "You know very well that's exactly what he wants us to do. We cannot solve every problem with plain violence."

"I don't see any other option, though."

"Speaking of Raven Tail..." Lucy began awkwardly. She threw a concerned glance at Erza, clearly hesitant to continue. "That girl Levy mentioned...The one they stripped down..."

Erza's face dropped in an instant, shame and disgust taking over her face. She looked at the table, unable to look her in the eyes. "That's...Something I had forgotten about, as horrible as that sounds. A part of me is glad I did, even though I shouldn't have..."

Mira sighed through her nose. "You might as well tell her. No way around this now."

Erza looked at the Demon. The girl nodded reassuringly, her eyes softening. Erza took a deep breath and turned to Lucy.

"You see, it happened-"

"Damn, I'm starving." Gray entered the kitchen, Gajeel, Elfman, Wendy, and Juvia behind him. They all looked horrible, the girls much worse than the boys.

"Did you guys make anything to eat?" asked Elfman hopefully.

Mira sent them all a piercing glare, one that made them all halt, fear running down their bodies from the top of their heads to their toes.

"W-what? What did we do?" asked scared Gray.

Erza sighed tiredly and shook her head. "I'll tell you some other time." she whispered to Lucy and stood up from her chair. "Nothing. I think it's a great idea to eat, I'm hungry myself. Let's see what we've got left."

"Hold on with that."

Everyone turned their heads towards the windows, Gajeel looking out with a scowl. Wendy walked up to him, also careful. "Three...no, four of them?" she asked him.

"Five." he replied. "Don't know any of them."

Erza walked up to the Dragon Slayers. Five figures walked out of the forest, their figures still covered by the shadows. Without turning around, she motioned her hand at everyone to follow her.

"Stay here." said Gray to Juvia. "You can barely walk."

"Okay. Be careful."

"I will."

Erza opened the door, Lucy, Gray, Elfman, Mirajane, Gajeel, and Wendy walking out after her. She squinted a little, her eyes adjusting to the still unnatural morning light.

Soon the figures cleared out, revealing a rather bizarre bunch of individuals. Four of them were walking up front, two men and two women, with the fifth one who appeared to be a very young man walking just behind them, his hands in his pockets.

"State your business." demanded Erza.

The group stopped walking. A short woman with dirty blonde hair shook her head, her eyes focused on Erza. She was playing with a small strip of a material, possibly cut out from a piece of clothing.

"I already hate her, Emilia." she said. "So bossy..."

A tall man with spiky white hair, red vest and skintight brown pants looked at her. "Come now, Ellia, we haven't even properly met!"

"And I already want to gouge her eyes out."

The other woman ignored her friends and walked up front, stopping just a few feet away from Erza. She had long, dark-blue hair, glasses, a white uniform and a sword strapped to her waist. She also had a scar that ran up from her jawline up to the middle of her right cheek, which greatly disturbed Erza. She stared her down from feet to the head, analyzing her. "Erza Scarlet, I presume?"

The knight nodded. "That is correct. Who's asking?"

The woman waited with answering for a moment. "Emilia, of Raven Tail."

At the mention of said name, Fairy Tail tensed up, ready for battle if it came to it. Erza's eyes narrowed, her guard up already. "What can we help you with?"

A man with messy black hair and sharp teeth walked out of the line, laughing. "Come now, no need to be so uptight! We simply came to say hello! And, well, measure you all up." he walked up to Mirajane and extended his hand. "We've heard a lot about you."

Mirajane scowled and knocked his hand away, much to his amusement. "Keep your hands to yourself."

The man whistled, his expression growing slightly sinister. "Careful now, Demon Mirajane, looks like you've been kissed by fire once already. You might get a second one."

Mira clenched her crippled hand and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Gray, who grabbed her left shoulder.

"Don't let him provoke you." he hissed and successfully pulled her back.

"Svenar, get back in line." ordered Emilia. The man chuckled and obeyed the order.

"Unless you have any form of business with us, I must ask you to leave." said Erza. "We do not want any trouble, we have already talked with the Mayor."

"We're not here because of the Mayor." said softly Emilia. "As my associate said, we are here by our own will."

"What for?"

"I can't speak for the others, but I have a certain question to you, Titania. One I have waited a long time to ask."

The tension between both guild was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Seeing how the situation may have been going in the wrong direction, Lucy gulped and tried to disarm the bomb.

"Why don't we just come inside and talk things through?" she proposed "We really have no ill will towards you, so-"

Her proposition was cut off by a scared gasp, as something flown by her right cheek, cutting it open, courtesy of Ellia, who threw her material at the blonde.

"Who said you were permitted to speak, bimbo?" she asked, her voice ice cold. "Shut the hell up and….What do you think you're doing?"

Ellia was now completely covered in ice, from feet to the neck, courtesy of Gray, who stood next to Erza, his hands joined.

"That's a question you should be answering right now." he replied in a tone that matched hers.

In a matter of a second both parties put up their fighting poses, ready to strike if needed. Lucy, who was holding her cut cheek, tried to talk reason into Gray.

"Stop it, Gray, I'm fine." she pleaded.

Mira shook her head, a smirk on her face. Truth to be told, she was waiting for something like this to happen. "Now, who's the one being provoked?"

"Talking shit is one thing, but no one gets to treat one of us this way and get away with it." he replied.

Albert laughed out loud and walked up to frozen Ellia. He put his elbow on top of her head, using it as an arm rest. "Son, I advise you to release her right about now. She's quite a vicious young lady, you know."

"Sure, when she apologizes, I will."

Ellia breathed through her nose and in an instance broke out of the ice, shattering it into thousands of small shards, much to Gray's shock. His ice no longer resembled ice, now it was more like glass shattered into ash.

"See? I told you." said Albert. "By the way, I've got a question to you al...Is Laxus nearby, by any chance? I have some business with him."

"You missed him by a few days." replied Elfman.

Albert sucked his teeth in. "Now that's an issue..."

"I won't repeat myself any more." said sternly Erza. "Leave us. We want nothing to do with you."

Svenar laughed out loud and walked up to the redhead. "See, that might be an issue...Because when I said we came to measure you up, I meant it as 'we came to see just how low you've fallen, so that we could destroy you with no witnesses to see it'."

A split second, that's how long it took for his head to be blown backwards by Mirajane's kick, now in her Satan Soul form. Svenar slid back on his feet, blood dripping from his cut lip.

Albert clenched his fist and swung it at the Demon, only to be stopped by her brother, who blocked the punch with his arms crossed on his chest.

"Oh?" hummed Albert. "You've got some nice muscles there, buddy. Care to dance?"

Elfman growled and knocked the punch away, now openly brawling with his look-alike.

Erza tried to calm the situation down, but was forced to block Emilia's sword coming down at her. She grit her teeth, her muscles crying out in pain – they were nowhere near to be in the condition to fight, their Second Origin procedure still holding them down.

Both women stared at each other in silence, before breaking contact and starting an exchange with their weapons, Erza's body now glowing from changing into an armor.

Ellia smirked and adjusted the scarf on her neck. "Does that leave me the bimbo and Mr. Iceberg? Perfect."

Gray bent his knees and punched his palm. "I'm getting sick of you, lady." he growled.

Elfman threw a punch at Albert, his arm in Beast Soul form. The giant smiled and caught the blow without too much trouble. Elfman's eyes widened at the man's power, which did not suit his rather lean build.

"No, brother, that's not how you do it." he smirked "A punch has to be thrown...like this!"

Before he could do Elfman's face in with his fist, however, he was nailed by Gajeel's iron club. Albert's head was blown back, his grip loosening, which allowed Elfman to pull his fist out.

"Ah, now that was a hard punch." sighed joyfully Albert and massaged his jaw, not a single scratch on his face. "But not hard enough."

He raised his right hand for his opponents to see. A second later his skin was ripped apart, blood splattering to the sides under heavy pressure, much to Gajeel and Elfman's shock.

"The hell?" frowned the Dragon Slayer.

Albert grinned. Something started to come out of the wounds on his hand, something creamy in color. It didn't take long for Gajeel to realise what he was looking at.

The bones in Albert's hand started to come out of his hand, expanding and reshaping themselves into a glove, that was now covering his right fist. Albert clenched it and stepped in, surprising both his opponents with his fist.

"This is what a hard punch feels like!" he roared and swung at Gajeel, who has already put on his iron scales. Albert's punch landed on Gajeel's left arm, which soon began to crack under the force of the punch. Gajeel grunted from pain and felt his arm being done in, before being launched backwards, his scales falling off his already sore arm.

"He broke through Gajeel's scales like they are nothing!" gasped Elfman in shock.

"You sure you got time to look away?"

Elfman's eyes became rid of consciousness, as Albert planted his still hardened fist deep into his stomach, knocking him out in an instance.

Mirajane, who was currently battling Svenar, watched her brother fall before the giant, her blood boiling.

"Elfman!" she called out to him and tried to rush to his side, only to be caught on the ankle by Svenar.

The man grinned and soon Mira found herself hissing from pain, the place he touched her in now burned. She knocked her leg out of his grip and regained balance, confused about his magic.

"I told you, didn't I? You'll be kissed by fire a second time." he told her, before being kicked in the face. Or rather that's what it looked like to Mirajane for a second.

Her leg went right through the left side of his head, flames spilling to the sides. Svenar grinned and put his hand on Mira's chest, before blasting her away with flames. The Demon cried out in pain and rolled on the group to put the fire out, fear starting to kick in.

"You might be a Demon, you know..." hummed Svenar and reshaped his head back. "But you ain't got shit on a Phoenix." he said with a sinister grin and dashed at the woman.

Erza blocked yet another blow from Emilia, clad in her Heart Kreuz armor. Majority of her armors was either damaged or destroyed, leaving her arsenal heavily limited.

Emilia sighed gently. "Is this all you can offer?"

Erza's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Emilia snapped her eyes open and pushed Erza back. The knight staggered, which gave Emilia a chance to prepare another attack. She readied her blade by her right hip and dashed forward, a move Erza found to be naive. She braced herself, only to be left with only a split of a second to avoid having her head cut off – without any sort of a warning Emilia changed her strike.

The woman hummed and repositioned herself, however Erza was faster. She had the upper hand in both position and speed, her blade already coming down on Emilia. It never made it, though, for the woman blocked it with the shaft of a spear, much to Erza's shock.

 _A spear?! Where did it come from? Does she use Requip, like me? But this speed...It's impossible!_

Emiliar pushed Erza back and quickly turned the spear around, striking the knight in the leg, before backfisting her with her left hand. Erza took a step back but did not falter, thinking of a new way to attack.

She gripped her blade as hard as she could and threw it at the woman, immediately Requipping another one and changing her position. Emilia knocked it away, only to be met with yet another blade making its way toward her, however this time, Erza was nowhere to be found.

 _I see. She threw the blade at an angle that, when close enough, entirely covered her figure, letting her get out of my sight. Clever, even if naive._

Emilia knocked the blade down and remained in her spot, not bothering with putting up her guard. She simply looked up, not impressed in the slightest.

Erza, who was directly above her, widened her eyes in mild shock, but carried her attack out anyway. She growled and swung her blade down, only for Emilia to take a single step to the side, so casually she looked like she was avoiding a puddle.

Erza grit her teeth and tried to follow, but the woman was already gone, much to her shock.

"I could hear your clanking armor all the way through your pathetic plan." she heard a voice tell her, before something hard struck her back, causing her to gasp in pain. Erza was blown away by Emilia, now wielding a giant hammer. The redhead rolled on the ground but regained her composure rather quickly. She grimaced from pain and spat some blood to the side.

"Another weapon...So you really use Requip." deduced Erza.

"No, I don't." denied Emilia. "Although my weapon does. My magic is called Eleven. It's nothing special, really. All it does is enhancing my senses many times fold, boosting my reaction speed, precision, muscle control, hearing, and so on."

Erza frowned. "Sounds just like Dragon Slayers."

"I'd appreciate if you didn't compare me to those primitives." said softly Emilia and looked to the side.

Erza followed her suit, only to see Gajeel being heavily outmatched by Albert, who continued to pound him, now both of his fists clad in his bones. Erza clenched her teeth and dashed towards the man, gripping her blade as hard as she could.

Before he could react in time, Erza cut Albert's chest open, from his abdomen up to his right shoulder. The man gasped in pain and staggered backwards, leaving Gajeel alone.

"You okay?" she asked the man.

"Yeah. My body's not moving as I'd want it to." growled Gajeel.

"I think that's the case for all of us."

Albert slid his fingers over his cut and examined the blood on his fingers, cracking out in laughter a moment later. "Well, would you look at that, you actually managed to cut me!"

Erza scowled. She could spot Emilia walking up to her from the distance, her weapon changing once again. She may have given Gajeel a moment to breathe, but their situation was still grim.

Lucy, who was lucky enough to not be targeted by anyone just yet took a step to the side, now standing before Wendy. She watched the situation in dread. There was no way they could achieve anything here in their weakened state.

"Wendy." She whispered "Listen to me very carefully."

In the meantime, Albert stopped laughing and addressed Erza. "Titania, would you like to see something special?" he asked her, before grinning widely.

Much to Erza and Gajeel's shock his wound has begun to close and heal itself, blood going back to its original place and the cut sealing itself, no scar left behind.

"My magic is Bone Manipulation. I can use any bone in my body and mold it however I want by increasing its size. I do have to damage myself to do that, however, so that's where my second magic comes into play – Regeneration. I can recover from basically any injury, even lethal ones."

"You've gotta be shitting me." growled Gajeel and regrew his cracked scales.

On the other side of the field Gray clutched his cut shoulder.

"This chick...She keeps putting materials out of her pockets, so how the hell are they so sharp?!" he growled to himself.

Ellia chuckled. "You really are slow, aren't you?" she taunted him.

Gray groaned and punched his palm, a giant block of ice flying toward the woman a second later. Ellia smirked and raised her right hand high in the air, her oversized sleeve flopping in the wind, before quickly putting it down, as if she was cutting the air. The block of ice split in two, cut in a perfect line.

"Damn it!" cursed the Maker.

Lucy's eyes widened a little, her eyes spotting something bizarre about the girl's clothing. She quickly said two more sentences to Wendy, before letting her run into the house. She opened her key holster and pulled out Loke's key, ready to fight.

"Gray, I think I've cracked her magic out." she told him.

"Oh, did you now?" asked Ellia and dashed forward. Gray quickly punched his palm and created a wall before them. Lucy kept her eyes on their enemy and her next action proved her theory.

Ellia bent her knees and jumped high in the air, or so it looked like. In reality, the ground beneath her feet has suddenly bent under her feet and launched her in the air like a trampoline, before bouncing up and down a few times and returning to its original state.

Ellia jumped over Gray's wall and threw a few more cloths at the pair, which were blocked by Gray. He then motioned his hand and molded a fist out of his shield, which caught the girl by surprise. The fist punched her and made her fly away, right into the nearby tree.

Ellia clicked her tongue and turned in the air, her feet landing on the tree. Much to Gray's shock, the tree bent over like rubber and launched the girl straight at him, who cut his right breast open with her right sleeve.

"Gray!" cried out Lucy.

Gray grunted from pain and dropped to his knees, blood flowing down his torso. Lucy bit her lip in worry but took her eyes off Gray and looked at Ellia. "As I thought. I don't know how it works, but she can change the properties of objects, like turning tree or ground into rubber and her clothes into metal."

Ellia whistled, impressed. "Gotta say, I didn't think blondie would be the one to figure this out. Maybe you're not as dumb as I thought."

Lucy scowled. She was just about done with this rude kid.

Erza cried out in pain and found herself rolling on the ground once again, losing yet another exchange with Emilia. This caught Ellia's attention.

"Oh, I know. I've always wanted to throw down with Titania." she said and ran after the redhead.

"Albert!" she called to her teammate.

Albert punched Gajeel one more time, this time rendering him unconscious, and looked at the girl. He quickly understood what she meant and gave her a thumbs up.

Ellia grinned and ran up to Erza, who was now back on her feet. She ducked underneath her sword slash and slapped the left side of her armor, before jumping away.

Confused, Erza heard someone run behind her. This someone turned out to be Albert, who charged at the knight, his right fist retracted. Erza blocked his punch with her sword, her shoulders crying out from the pressure. The giant knocked her guard away and retracted his fist once again, going for Erza's left side. The redhead grit her teeth, knowing full well she had no way around being hit, all her trust put in her armor.

What followed later was pure agony. Her vision has suddenly grown blurry, her ribs cracking dangerously, blood coming out of her mouth, as Albert's fist planted itself into her side like into butter, her armor bending unnaturally from Ellia's magic, who turned the metal into a very soft material.

Erza cried out in pain and was blown away, her sword falling out of her hand and planting itself into the ground.

"Erza!" Lucy cried out after her teammate.

"Shut up."

Ellia struck Lucy with a neck chop so powerful it cut the blonde's consciousness out for a moment. She dropped to the ground like a ragdoll, keys falling out of her hand.

On the other side, Mirajane was kicked into a tree, her body breaking it in half. Her body was smoking and burned in several places, now out of Satan Soul.

Svenar's figure glowed, as he turned his form off with a tired sigh.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed with how you control your Take Over. Mine is a bitch to get right." he praised the woman, who could only give him a hateful glare.

Erza grunted from pain on the ground. Her ribs were definitely broken. She heard someone walk up to her and upon looking up she saw Emilia, who raised her weapon, now a sword, high above her head.

Before she could swing it, however, Erza Requipped a new blade and thrust it at the woman from the ground, much to everyone's shock. Emilia, however, managed to dodge the strike, the blade catching just her uniform and shirt underneath, ripping it open.

Erza's face changed from a scowl to pure dread in a matter of a second. The sword fell out of her hand, disbelief written on her face.

"Y-you..." she choked out, her eyes focused on Emilia's now exposed torso.

From her left hip up, across her entire abdomen and right breast, up to her right cheek ran a big, straight scar made by a blade. A wound that haunted Erza in her dreams for years to come, one she was by God's luck able to forget about.

"It's you..." gasped the redhead.

Emilia's eyes narrowed, a long sight escaping her nose. Without much of a warning she raised her right leg and stomped Erza's lower back, making the girl cry out in pain.

"I'm glad you at least managed to remember the scar. I was starting to fear you'd forgotten me completely." said Emilia, her voice still calm despite the situation.

Erza's hands clenched on the ground, dirt gathering in her fists. "Is...is this why you're here?"

"Yes." said shortly the woman. "But first, I have only one question to ask you." she kneeled before Erza and looked her deep in the eyes. "Why?"

Erza's eyes narrowed.

"Who cares why?" scoffed Ellia, her foot holding Lucy pinned to the ground. "Let's just finish them off, save the trouble. Not like she'll give you any reasonable answers. None of them ever do."

"I'm with Ellia." said Svenar. He walked up to the women and turned to Emilia. "What do you say, Emilia?" he asked. "No one can see us...wanna finish this?"

Lucy's eyes snapped wide open. "W-wait for a moment! Do you really think you will-"

Before she could finish she was kicked across her face by Ellia. The blonde cried out in pain.

"You really are a moron…Who said you could speak?" she asked.

Emilia continued to stare Erza down, the knight's glare just as piercing as hers. Just when she was about to speak up, she was interrupted by a very loud noise.

The front wall of the house was destroyed along with the door, as Natsu crashed out of the building, still just in his pants. His eyes were immediately locked onto Raven Tail, his face expressing silent fury.

Raven Tail looked at him in pure shock, not much greater than that of Fairy Tail. Lucy, on the other hand, smirked devilishly with her bloody lips, which wasn't unnoticed by Emilia.

As soon as the Dragon Slayer's foot touched the ground he dashed across the field, Albert being his first target, his left hand picking up Erza's blade that was stuck in the ground.

Having awakened from the initial shock, the giant roared awkwardly to prepare himself for battle and took a wide swing with his right hand, his bones already piercing through his skin. Before he could form them into anything, however, Natsu growled and swung the blade as hard as he could, cutting the arm off in a clean slice.

"Wha-" choked out Ellia, shocked just as every other member of her guild, fear starting to get to her head. _With not much of a warning...He went straight for the kill!_

Albert cried out in pain, but his suffering has yet to end. Natsu quickly put the blade in his right hand and began to relentlessly hack at Raven Tail's member, cutting him all over his body. With each cut Albert was forced to take a step back, the onslaught leaving him at Natsu's mercy.

After dealing enough damage Natsu grit his teeth, planted his pivot hard on the ground and thrust the blade directly into Albert's throat, piercing right through. The man coughed up a lot of blood, some of it falling onto Natsu's face and right shoulder. He then gripped the blade and pulled it out at once, Erza's sword falling out of his hand. Albert gargled on his blood and grabbed his throat with his remaining hand, while Natsu sucked in as much air as his lungs could store, before releasing it all at once.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Albert was swallowed by a purging torrent of flames that turned everything on its path into ash, his skin immediately blackening, his clothes and hair disintegrating.

Raven Tail watched their guildmate being burned to crisp in pure horror, fear taking control over their bodies. Fairy Tail was no different – they watched Natsu slaughter their enemy like a pig, clearly unsettled by what was happening.

"Albert!" bellowed Svenar in fury and started to run toward Natsu. "You bastard...how dare you!"

Natsu and Albert both vanished in the smoke, as the giant fell to the ground in a loud thud. Svenar didn't care, however: he was going to pummel this pinkheaded prick until he could no longer walk.

Before he could take any sort of action, however, he was met with a sword flying directly at his face, courtesy of Natsu, who threw it from within the smoke. The man dodged at the last moment, the blade cutting the air right next to his left ear.

Without giving him even a chance to recover, Natsu appeared behind Svenar, already reading up an attack. Before the man could turn his body into flames he was smashed into stomach with a flaming fist that knocked out all the air he had in his lungs, a painful wheeze escaping his mouth. Natsu followed it with a powerful hit to Svenar's temple, which almost rendered the man unconscious.

The Take Over mage smashed into the ground like a bag of potatoes, out of commission. Using her friend's misfortune as a chance, Ellia hardened her scarf and thrust at Natsu, who had no time to dodge. He raised his left forearm and let the cloth stab into it, as he positioned his torso out of the way of the blade, which made its way through his flesh.

Natsu grit his teeth in pain but did not hesitate. He quickly put his right hand under his left elbow, leaving Ellia with only a split second to react. Natsu blasted her away with his flames, which effectively pushed her back and pulled the scarf out of his forearm.

Just before impact the woman hardened her clothes, which greatly nullified the damage. She slid on the balls of her feet and stared into the smoke, already thinking of a new plan of attack. Before she could do that, however, Natsu ran right out of the smoke and blasted her away with his flames once again, this time with both arms and with no protection to cover her.

Ellia cried out in pain and rolled on the ground, landing quite close to Albert's smoking, but already regenerating body.

"This guy...He's still alive?!" gasped Gray from the side, not willing to get mixed up in this mess of a situation.

Emilia watched her guildmates being thrashed in pure confusion and mild fear. _How is this possible? s_ he thought _According to our sources Salamander should be unable to move, let alone fight! And the way he fights...It's almost as if he knew all about our abilities!_ _It's no coincidence he targeted Albert first and turned him into minced meat..._

Her eyes shifted at the house he came out from and with just one glance everything started to put itself together in her mind.

From behind the broken down wall she could spot Wendy's small face, tired, but proud of herself.

 _I see...It was this girl!_

Just when she put everything together, she became Natsu's next target. The Dragon Slayer dashed right at her, however Emilia was not intimidated. _Your bluff...I see right through it!_

She quickly turned her weapon into a pistol and fired away. Natsu successfully dodged the shot and retracted his right arm to strike, however Emilia knew better. By observing his muscles she already knew it was a feint, which turned out to be just that. Natsu struck with a very fast, but compact left jab, which Emilia ducked right under. She gripped her pistol and swung it, but before she could even fully change her weapon into a warhammer like she was planning on, the Dragon Slayer jumped back, avoiding his ribs being done in.

Emilia started to change her weapon yet again and in the meantime Natsu once again closed the distance between them. Emilia tried to swing her newly summoned sword at the Dragon Slayer, but he caught a solid grip on her wrist, rendering her arm by her left hip. He then tried to hit her with a very fast right hook, which was effortlessly caught by the woman. The pair stared at one another, before Natsu broke contact with Emilia and jumped back, avoiding having his foot impaled by Emilia, who turned the sword over in her hand and changed it into a spear.

Erza watched their battle in awe, still on the ground to avoid being hit by any stray attacks. _So this is what a battle between two people with sharpened senses looks like..._

Emilia clicked her tongue, clearly irritated. She had never met someone with senses as sharp as hers. This fight was just a very complicated game of chess – whoever made the first mistake would soon find themselves under the feet of the other.

She changed her weapon into a pistol once again, however Natsu has already stepped in and was too close to be hit by any shots – he would have gotten her first before she could even aim. Instead of her initial plan, the woman went for a dagger and dodged Natsu's left straight, stabbing him in the shoulder with her blade.

Natsu hissed in pain but fought through it. He bent his arm downwards and locked his elbow with Emilia's, securing her in place. He then clenched his right fist and struck the woman hard in the ribs, cracking two of them with the force of his punch.

Emilia grunted from pain, adrenaline pumping through her veins. She locked her furious eyes with Natsu's, which struck the Dragon Slayer with a dose of fear.

He quickly released her arm and pulled the blade out of his shoulder, which turned into a giant longsword that would have cut through his body like butter.

In the meantime, Svenar started to come to his senses and looked at the house. Putting two to two together, he growled in anger and stood up. "That brat...It was that brat! I will slaughter you, you bitch!"

Emilia watched her guildmate dash at the small girl, her attention quickly shifting from Natsu to him. "Svenar, don't!" she called after him. "Leave her-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Natsu turned away from her and kicked the ground as hard as he could. In a matter of a second he cut through the field and caught up with running Svenar, his speed shocking Emilia to the core.

Svenar had only a split second to realise what was about to happen to him, as the corner of his eye caught Natsu retracting his fist back, before smashing it into Svenar's face, messing up his nose and cutting his lip open.

Her magic being of great help in understanding what just happened, Emilia felt cold sweat running down her chin. She saw it only for a moment but it was definitely there... _Wasn't fire his only magic?!_

Natsu flexed his arm as hard as he could and launched Svenar into the air, making him crash into Ellia and Albert, who were both already trying to get up on their feet. Emilia changed her weapon into a rifle with the intent of shooting Natsu from the distance, but he once again vanished. Her ears could easily hear the faint sound of his footsteps behind her and as she turned around he grabbed her rifle and pushed it aside, before smashing his fist into her abdomen, making the woman buckle over.

Emilia fell to her knees, spit and blood running down her chin from the previous strike and before she could even recollect herself, Natsu stomped her lower back as hard as he could, grinding her into the ground like a nail. A terrifying bellow of agony escaped the woman's mouth, blood flying high in the air from her mouth.

Natsu took his foot off Emilia's back and put it under her torso, before kicking her into her guildmates. Albert, whose disfigured body was already on its feet, caught the girl into his regenerating arms.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Natsu released yet another torrent of flames that was intended to swallow the entirety of Raven Tail, only to be dispelled by the fifth member of Raven Tail, one who stood out the whole battle up until now.

He was rather scrawny, with bad posture. He wore dark-blue pants, a black, unzipped and baggy hoodie thrown over a white t-shirt with some sort of a writing on it. He had long, shoulder-length red hair and blue eyes, both stuck to a face that expressed pure boredom and annoyance. He looked like someone tired of simply being alive.

He shook the hand he canceled Natsu's Roar with and sighed tiredly. His guildmates looked at him from the ground, irritated.

"Finally decided to join, eh, Leord?" hissed sarcastically Ellia.

"Shut your mouth." he told her, his voice not leaving much room for negotiations. "You are a moron if you expected me to join in on your selfish acts of insubordination."

"I'm gonna pay this bastard back..." growled Svenar. "Right now!"

"No, you're not." shot him down Leord. "This is your punishment for attacking a guild that contains at least one SS-rate based on information you couldn't even get any proof for."

He took a look at Natsu with his tired eyes, who scowled at the redhead in return. "You got your asses kicked, because you let him intimidate you. While you were playing around with the others, they sent their healer to patch him up quicker with all the information they gathered from you lot boasting about your magic. That's why he attacked Albert first." he decuded and pointed at the giant with his finger "To slaughter him because of his Regeneration and thus make you think he was going to do the same thing to all of you. Reputation mixed with intimidation, that's why you lost to him."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. The guy was smart and he had to give it to him. He must have been rather strong, too – it's been a while since someone simply stopped one of his attacks.

"If only you used your brains and thought for a second, you would have realised that Salamander is still slightly weaker than each and every single one of you." continued Leord. "You simply let him get to your head."

Svenar spit some blood aside and stood up. "I'm glad to hear it." he said and readied himself for battle.

"Stop it." said Emilia and dusted her clothes off. She looked at Fairy Tail with narrowed eyes. "Leord is right, we've made a mistake. Time to retreat."

Ellia's jaw dropped. "You heard him, we can still kick their asses! You really want to run away?"

"We've done enough for today." said sternly Emilia. "Originally I came here only to confront Titania, nothing more. It is my mistake for letting you lot drag me into this. I order retreat back to the guild." she said and turned around, walking away.

Although unhappy, her teammates scoffed and obeyed, following her back into the forest. They threw Fairy Tail a couple more dirty looks and soon vanished behind the trees, Albert's body still smoking.

Leord and Natsu continued to stare at one another, neither moving an inch.

"I know this might sound out of place by now, but sorry for my guild mates." said the redhead.

"You might wanna join them soon." replied Natsu.

Leord sighed. "Yeah, I probably do. Sorry again." he said and turned around. "What a pain in the ass..." he moaned to himself, before vanishing in the wilds.

Fairy Tail started to get a hold of themselves, frustrated and humiliated. They knew they were held back by their still weakened bodies, but the gap was still big. Mirajane knocked Elfman's hand away and walked away, ashamed of herself.

Erza got back on her feet and looked at Natsu's back, who was still staring at the forest with a scowl. She frowned sadly, the sensation of happiness she felt for the past few days long gone now. His figure beamed in the morning sun, its rays bathing him. Although they suffered a terrible loss, things didn't look as grim as they used to, now that he was back in the game. Still…

Their trouble has yet to truly end.

 **End of Chapter 34. To be continued in Chapter 35: Grand Magic Games.**


	36. Grand Magic Games

A good few hours have passed since Raven Tail's visit, the sun now fully above the clouds.

Elfman grunted under his breath and continued to hammer away at the entrance, Gajeel next to him, both of them patched up in bandages and a bucket of ice by their feet, which they used to cool their bruises with.

They weren't the only ones covered in bandages. Everyone except for Wendy was clad in the cloths in one way or another, some of them stitched up as well.

Embarrassed of their defeat and unwilling to put even more strain on the girl, they have all decided to heal their wounds by themselves, the old fashioned way.

Gray grimaced one last time and cut the string by his shoulder, the cut given to him by Ellia still stinging and itching.

"Why do I always get my ass kicked by chicks?" he complained under his nose and reached out to Mirajane, who was sitting next to him.

She took a swing of her booze and passed it to the Maker, applying some ointments to her burns in the meantime. Their supplies of painkillers were limited, so both of them refused to take any, their old bottle of alcohol filling the blank in.

"I can't even make fun of you for this." she told him and hissed in annoyance after applying the paste onto her shoulder. "If chicks are your magnet, then fire is mine. I'm getting tired of having to scratch an itch every five seconds."

Gray arched an eyebrow at her. "I don't think you're supposed to, though."

"Shut up."

"Alright, don't come to me to cool you down though."

"You're giving yourself too much credit, Iceman."

Lucy smiled at their banter from the other corner of the room and pulled her paper towel away from her cut lip, blood still dripping from it. Moaning in frustration, she threw the dirty one away and ripped a new piece.

"We just can't catch a break, can we?" she sighed.

Erza, who was standing behind her, frowned and tightened the belt on her armor, lost in thoughts. All of the recent battles have left her basically defenseless, naked even. She knew she had to repair and possibly replace her armors, but she never expected to be caught off-guard like that. Being unable to change into a more powerful armor made her more aware of just how lacking she still was in terms of strength and commitment.

"This was no ordinary attack." she stated and turned to the blonde "They knew of our situation, where we were and they seemed to know quite a deal about us."

Lucy nodded. "It felt like they held a massive grudge against us." she said and then frowned, distressed "Which brings up my question..."

Erza's face dropped sadly. She looked away in shame. Taking the hint, Lucy dropped the subject and focused on herself again.

"No." said Mirajane and walked up to them, her eyes glued to Erza. "Stop running away from it. Tell her."

Erza looked at Mirajane, who nodded softly. The redhead bit her lip and took a deep breath.

"Very well." she said, before sitting down on a chair. "Truth to be told I...don't remember it too well, which makes it even worse. Three years ago, or rather ten, I was out on a...job. Dark Guild Extermination. It was a rather small, but formidable one, located directly in an abandoned village. Or so I thought."

Lucy noticed the sudden shift in her friend's tone, so she did what felt like an instinct to her: she grabbed her hand reassuringly, which Erza reacted to well. She took another breath and continued.

"It was a tough battle, one that made me feel really...fired up, to put it lightly. At the time I was so used to little to no resistance that an actual challenge made me angry, rather than excited and focused. Upon besting one of the last enemies, I saw someone trying to run away from the scene. It was dark, the only source of light being the moon that could have been one step away from being completely hidden by the clouds. I caught up to said person, raised my blade and swung down, surprised at the lack of attempts of defense. It wasn't even a second later when I saw _whom_ I have cut. A little girl, no older than Wendy."

Lucy's eyes widened in horror, as did Wendy's, who had walked downstairs just when Erza began her story. They stared at the redhead, too shocked to make a sound.

Erza grit her teeth and continued.

"Apparently, the village was never abandoned. The guild took refuge there and used the village as their property, terrorizing the villagers and treating them like slaves. They ordered them to stay at their homes at all time, which gave the illusion of being abandoned. The girl sneaked out of her house at night and happened to be by the guild when I attacked. I have learned about it a few days after my attack. When I cut this girl, I didn't feel a single thing, no remorse or compassion, because at the time I was convinced I have cut a dark mage at that time, not a child. I've seen people not that older than her commit atrocities. I did not put the two together."

No one said anything. There was nothing to _be_ said. They wanted to feel sorry for her, but reality was not that merciful. What she did was horrible and they knew it. She knew it.

Erza took a raspy, uneven breath and stood up from her chair, restless.

"Now she's with Raven Tail." she stated bluntly "I'm not going to sit here and cry myself to sleep. I have to fix this."

Mirajane arched an eyebrow. "How exactly are you planning to do that? I'm pretty sure she'd rather cut you into pieces than let you talk to her."

Erza shook her head. "I don't know, but I refuse to let things stay like this. We must confront them, all of them. They looked like they had issues with us, some of them personal. That tall man mentioned Laxus, the girl in a suit targeted Lucy the most...There is a pattern to follow here."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Ivan gathered people we've crossed before, just to get back on us." scoffed Mira "Sounds like something this rotten bastard would do."

"I must agree. This sounds like the most logical explanation for now."

"Still, even if we want to confront them, our hands are tied. We are the bad guys around here, after all." said Gray.

"That is why we must think of something that will not bring us any more trouble. I'll give it a thought."

Erza excused herself and left the room, heading upstairs.

She climbed the stairs and found one of the door open. Her legs slightly stiff, Erza crossed the hallway and entered the room.

She came just in time to see Natsu throw his new jacket over his now bandaged and patched up torso, his shoulder and forearm stitched by Cana earlier. He sighed tiredly and zipped it, turning to Erza in the meantime.

"Hey." he said to her with a small smirk.

Erza felt some weight falling off her shoulders upon seeing his smile, something she missed dearly. She cleared her throat to regain her composure and stepped into the room.

"Hello." she replied "How are you feeling?"

"Good." he said shortly and adjusted his sleeves "You?"

"I am well, too."

Awkward silence fell in the room, neither sure enough how to proceed. As things were right now, they both came clear with their feelings for one another. The only issue was that Erza had no idea Natsu heard her say it, which meant he would most likely be the one to break the ice again, something he didn't feel like doing in the slightest.

"What about the others?" he broke the silence after a while.

His question snapped the redhead out of her trance. "They are doing good, too. Nothing major."

Relief appeared on his face. "That's good, I was watching from inside, some of their attacks looked hard, especially from that chick with glasses."

Erza blinked, surprised. "Y-yeah, she was quite formidable. I was glad to hear your vicious approach was just an intimidation tactic."

He grinned at her. "Well, I gave quite a few promises about behaving, didn't I?"

Natsu turned around and walked up to the window, scouting the area, his full figure now in Erza's view.

His torso was now clad in a light-grey jacket with a high collar and a white strip running down the zipper from the collar to the base of the jacket, his white, scaly scarf wrapped around his neck. He had white pants that suit his figure well, the ends of his pantlegs tucked into his new black combat shoes, ones very similar to the one she saw him wear when they met.

Erza blinked at the sight, taken back. Partially because this was the first time she had ever seen him wear such light colors, but the most shocking part was the meaning behind all this. His new attitude, much lighter and more carefree than before, his change of style – Erza felt bold enough to assume she was about to deal with a version of Natsu she had never seen before.

"What?" he asked her, having caught her spaced out expression.

Erza cleared her throat and smiled at him. "Nothing. You look…good." she complimented him with a few slow nods.

He smiled and looked down. "Thanks, Lisanna brought them for me, said my old ones wouldn't even be useful as rags."

"Well, it'd be quite a challenge to clean something with a blood stained rag."

"Very funny."

Erza smiled and walked out of the room. "Come downstairs if you feel like it, the others are there. We could make something to eat."

Natsu's face beamed. "That'd be great, I'm starving."

Erza nodded and walked out of the room, Natsu following her in suit. Just when they were halfway through the stairs, they heard a commotion downstairs, multiple voices talking all at once. Curious, Erza slowly walked down and peeked from the door, her lips twisting into a smirk as she did.

In the living room stood Laxus and the Thunder Legion, tired and rough looking, however, it was not their appearance that filled Erza with this much joy. Behind them was a group of very familiar people, whom she was lucky enough to consider brothers in arms.

Lyon, Jura, Sherry, Toby and Yuka stood behind Laxus, all of them much older than the last time she'd seen them, but still just as recognizable. Erza motioned to Natsu to follow her and stepped into the room, willing to greet them.

"Took you long enough." said Mira to Laxus.

The Dragon Slayer groaned and massaged his tired eyes. "The Council kept us in for a while, wanted to have more than just one meeting, mostly about trivial shit."

"As it turned out, Laxus' business with the Council ended as soon as mine did, so I took the chance to invite him to accompany me back on my way home." said Jura with a smile "I wished to see you all again, and so did the others."

"Oh? You missed me?" Gray asked Lyon and walked up to his friend, his right hand extended.

Lyon scoffed, but took Gray's hand, giving it a firm shake. "As if. I was hoping you'd be dead when I came. You could say my disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined."

"Why you-"

Sherry looked at Lyon and blinked. "Huh, funny you say that, because that worried frown you had stuck to your face for the last few days is suddenly gone. Curious..."

Lyon's face took a gentle shade of red, as he ripped his hand out of Gray's grip and looked away, much to Sherry and Lucy's amusement.

Erza crossed the room and walked up to the guests, her smile widening with each step.

"It is great to see you again." she said to Jura and extended her hand to the man.

Jura smiled as well and shook the redhead's hand eagerly. "I am pleased to see you are all well, too."

"I wouldn't say we are well, but we're alive. I think that's the most important." chuckled Erza and let go of his hand.

Jura's smile faded away and gave in to a worried frown. "Yes, we have been told already. I knew something like this could have happened, but not this soon. I'm sorry you had to go through it."

Natsu, who walked into the room caught Jura's attention. The man smiled and walked up to the Dragon Slayer, his hand extended. "I believe we haven't met yet. I am Jura Neekis, it is a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard quite a lot about you."

Natsu awkwardly took the man's hand and nodded. "I'm Natsu. Nice to...meet you?" he finished in a questioning tone, his eyes stuck to Erza, who gently nodded. "Nice to meet you." he repeated, this time more firmly.

Jura chuckled and released his hand. As he attempted to strike a conversation with Natsu, Lyon walked up to Gray and leaned over his ear.

"I have to say, I'm surprised he's still here. I thought he'd be back in jail in no time."

Gray scoffed. "When you say it it makes me hate myself for thinking like that not so long ago, too."

Lyon blinked in mild confusion.

Noticing it, Gray expanded his view. "I didn't like him too much, but he proved himself. Hell, he's one of the reasons some of us are standing here. Dude has been wild in the past, but I think he's past it. I hope..." he finished in a whisper that was unfortunately caught by Lyon.

The fellow Maker scoffed and looked at the Dragon Slayer. "Be careful. You've always been too trusting."

Gray frowned. "Like with you that one time?"

"Exactly."

Gray exhaled through his nose and shook his head. "I'll keep that in mind." he patted Lyon on the shoulder and walked away.

Laxus walked up to Erza and greeted her.

"What else happened besides that adorable little visit?" he asked her.

Erza shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I don't really know where to begin. I'm having trouble taking it all in myself."

"Yeah, can't blame you." he said and sat down in a chair. "I know bits and pieces from those meetings but I guess you still know more than me. Give me the short version, I've had my share of listening the past few days."

Erza smiled and sat down next to him, before filling him in.

She told him basically what was told her. Their disappearance, Raven Tail emerging from the shadows, the rumors, the search, the showing, the guild's fall, their current state, Natsu's health, Crime Sorciere. Talking about all this made Erza's heart sting, especially now that she knew just exactly who one of her enemies was.

Laxus listened to it all with a stone cold face, his muscles not budging even one bit. When the knight was done, he sighed loudly and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"Well, looks like those geezers have some decency after all." he chuckled sarcastically. "I was given the censored version. I wasn't told they burn our mark as a daily hobby."

Erza said nothing, her hands clenching on her knees. "Things will never be the same, no matter what we do." she said.

"No, they won't." he admitted bluntly. "But that doesn't matter. We have to keep moving forward, no matter what. We're already neck deep in shit, let's not get our head under as well."

Although vulgar, Erza smiled at his metaphor, agreeing with her whole heart. "It won't be easy."

"It never is." he sighed. "That's why I want to wait for the old man to wake up before we do any big decisions. He calls the shots, after all."

Erza smiled. "I think you're growing to be a worthy successor, Laxus." she told him truthfully.

His eyes widened for a second. "Not in a million years." he groaned.

"She's right, you know." said Mirajane from behind them. "But..." she pointed her finger at Erza "Bold of you to assume he will ever step down from his position."

Laxus smirked and stood up, leaving the girls to themselves. He locked his eyes onto his new target, Natsu's eyes catching his in the middle of his way. Laxus walked up to the fellow Slayer and stared him down.

"I've heard what happened." he said shortly.

Natsu sighed under his nose. "I bet you have." he said quietly.

"I wish I was here to see that ass beating you handed out to them, would have thrown a bit from myself, too."

"I got lucky, that's all. The gap was really big, I had to give all I had just to drive them out."

"But you still did it." said Laxus. He clenched his fist and lightly punched Natsu in the chest. "Well done."

Natsu looked down at the fist and then back to Laxus' face, his own expressing mild shock. Still, he accepted the praise and replied with a firm nod, much to Laxus' pleasure.

Suddenly, the talks were deafened by loud thuds coming from the stairs. The door swung open, Lisanna smashing through with enough force to almost knock it out of its hinges. Her breathing was hard and her face wet.

"Master Makarov..." she wheezed out, sweat running down her chin. "Master Makarov has awaken!"

All of the eyes in the room went wide, Fairy Tail already getting out of their seats and spots to rush upstairs. Laxus smirked to himself and followed the others, amused.

"Always on time, eh, old man?"

 **Raven Tail's HQ, Magnolia**

Five figures stood in front of a rather tall man with a goatee, his stern glare piercing each and every single one of them.

The only people not bending under the pressure were Emilia and Leord, the woman meeting his eyes head on, while the boy's eyes were glued to the side, boredom written all over his face.

Ivan stopped strolling back and forth and threw one more look at his protegees.

"That's quite a pathetic appearance you've come back in." he said, his voice echoing across the hall. "Was the job that hard?" he asked, sarcasm oozing off his voice.

No one said anything, too afraid to speak up. None of them was brave enough to lie to him, but neither could they tell the truth. The chance he knew already was quite high anyway.

Hearing no reply, Ivan raised his eyebrows in confusion. "I'm sorry, was the question too hard for you as well?"

Albert bit his lip. "No, Master. Job itself was a breeze, the traveling was the worst part about it."

"I'm glad to hear it was a breeze." said the Master "If it wasn't I would be very concerned. Did...something happen on your way back?"

Emilia closed her eyes, finding it difficult to hide her irritation. "We encountered Fairy Tail on our way back and engaged them in battle." she stated bluntly, fed up with his condescending attitude.

Ivan looked at her. "I know." he said shortly "Shame it took you lot so long to admit to it."

He started to stroll back and forth again, before sitting down in his personal chair.

"Let me get this straight." he began and joined his hands on his lap "You went to see Fairy Tail, a guild that should not have any offensive capabilities or morale without my permission, which could possibly ruin everything we've worked for thus far, and not only did you fail to finish them off, you returned covered in injured like dogs with your tail between your legs. Did I miss anything?"

Svenar scoffed and finally looked at his Master. "Fairy Tail was not the issue, Master. Salamander was the one who did us in."

Ivan's eyebrows were raised once again. "Last time I heard, Salamander was under their custody, staying in their guildhall, the very one we are at this very moment, bearing their mark on his shoulder. If you were bested by him, then that means you were bested by Fairy Tail."

Svenar looked like he was chewing on something for a moment, before looking away, anger written all over his face.

Ivan exhaled and stood up, before walking up to Svenar, their faces apart by only a few centimeters.

"Weakened or not, this is the man, who managed to bring the most powerful Dark Guild Fiore has ever seen to its knees." he whispered "Even if he really was on the brink of death, there's still my father and my son, not to mention Titania and Demon Mirajane. Fairy Tail is not to be underestimated, even if weakened."

Svenar looked into his Master's eyes. "I left Mirajane's smoking body in a pile of rubble." he said with confidence "Emilia had Titania at her mercy. Neither of them posed a threat to us."

"And yet here you are, marked a loser."

For a second Svenar looked like was about to strike his Master. Refraining from doing so, he looked away again, no longer eager to talk.

Moving on, Ivan examined his guild members one by one, assessing their injuries. He stopped by Albert and looked the giant up.

"Your magic never fails to impress me, Albert." he said to the giant, his eyes tracing all over his figure "Not a single scratch on you. I wish I could put my hands on more of those Regeneration lacrimas."

Albert bowed gently but did not dare to speak up, well aware that he'd receive a scolding if he did. His pride was in pieces as it was. Ivan moved on and stopped by Emilia.

"Is what Svenar said true?" he asked her "You've confronted Titania?"

The woman nodded. "I did."

"Did you manage to find out what you were looking for?"

"Not quite. I did test her strength but we were interrupted before I could escalate."

"Any issues with your condition?"

"None that I encountered at the time. I was momentarily outclassed in full fairness, my resolve being the cause of it."

"I see. I'm certain a second chance will come soon enough."

Moving on, the man was now standing before Leord.

"You did well." he praised the teenager with a creepy smile and tousled his hair "You've managed to defuse the situation as best as you could. I'm glad you didn't let their foolishness drag you in.

Leord simply nodded, still not looking at his Master. Ivan chuckled and walked away from the group.

"Naturally, you all ought to be punished for what happened." he said loudly "However, I will close my eye this one time. What happened was a blessing within a disaster. There is still room for improvements, for all of you. Blame your lacking resolve today and do not dare to think of it tomorrow. Continue to move forward, until our goal is fulfilled."

"Your goal." said Emilia firmly. Ivan looked at her, slightly surprised. "I have absolutely no interest in your plans. I am here for my own sake and I will not let anyone get in my way. Even you."

A drop of sweat ran down Ivan's face but he chuckled again. "As expected of Emilia. As fierce as ever. This is exactly what I admire in you. That will of steel."

Emilia grit her teeth, repulsed by her Master. She did a great job at hiding it, for Ivan did not catch a thing.

"You all are my pride." he told them softly "I want the best for you all, for I wouldn't be here without you. Take this failure as a lesson and learn from it. I will expect more from you in the upcoming future. Especially you, Leord."

The teenager frowned, but bowed. "Thank you, Master." he said, his voice forced and robotic. Emilia threw a quick side glance at him.

Ivan walked up to the bar and lifted his glass. "Focus on resting today. Tomorrow will be a new beginning, for all of us. Fairy Tail's return benefits us quite well. Let us savor it as best as we can.

Makarov raised his shaking right hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, a loud, raspy sigh escaping through his nose. The elder was trying his best to stay composed after hearing everything that was thrown at him.

"Seven years..." he whispered under his mustache "Acnologia...Ivan...Gildarts..." he finished, his voice choked from held back tears and guilt. He felt responsible for the man's death, since he was the one who let him stay behind and fight alongside him.

No one could say anything to him, none of them capable of comforting the old Master who was now quietly crying into his hand, tears flowing down his chin onto the sheets.

No matter how strong, be it mentally or physically, no one could have taken all of that in without cracking, even a little. Seeing their one remaining parental figure sit there in his bed, broken and unable to come up with words left them feeling like birds with clipped wings, unable to even look up into the sky.

Laxus clenched his fist and walked up to his grandfather. He kneeled by his bedside and put his right hand on his tiny shoulder, giving it a firm, but kind squeeze.

Makarov looked at his grandson, who pierced him with his glare to the very core.

"How long are you going to whine, old man?" he asked "It's not like you."

Makarov did not say a thing, his eyes drifting somewhere else, to the side. Laxus clicked his tongue and gripped his shoulder a bit stronger, shaking him a little.

"I've asked you, how long are you going to stay in this bed for?!" he screamed.

"Leave him be!" screamed Lisanna. "Don't you understand how he feels?! What is wrong with you?!"

"Stay back, Lisanna." Mira said to her sister sternly.

The younger sister looked at her, distraught. "Mira! You can't possibly-"

"I've asked you a question, old man." snarled Laxus. "Don't make me repeat myself for the third time."

Makarov closed his eyes slowly. "I...I..."

Laxus took a deep breath through his nose and loosened the grip on his grandfather a bit. "Ever since we woke up, we were lost. I tried to take the lead, Erza did, Mira did, but none of us could do anything. Sure, I dealt with the Council as a rep, but I am not the Master. You are."

Laxus put his other hand on Makarov's other shoulder, both now gently holding him in place.

"I'm not heartless enough to be angry at you for grieving." he said softly "But we need you, old man. You are our Master, you call the shots. Do you have any idea how relieved everyone was when you woke up? You're our only hope right now. So stop whining to yourself in this damn bed and step out, do something. Tell us what our next move is. That's your responsibility. Brats can only be that strong without their parent."

Lisanna blinked in mild confusion and looked at Mira, who simply made a smug face, fully expecting this to happen. Erza smiled to herself and so did everyone else.

Makarov looked around the room, going from face to face. They were all smiling at him, their hopeful faces waiting for some kind of a sign from him.

The elder sniffed and wiped his eyes off, exhaling loudly as he did so to calm himself down.

"Well said." he told his grandson "I do not have the luxury of time to feel sorry for myself. Looks like I still have lots to learn, even at my old age."

Makarov threw his blankets off and Requipped his coat. Only then did he notice something very major and grim.

"Oh." he said quietly at the sight of his missing leg "I knew something felt off..."

Everyone hung their heads low, again rendered mute. The elder put his hand on his stump, gently caressing it. The sight hurt him dearly, it was written all over his face. Still, he took a deep breath and threw his other leg over the bed, willing to get out of it.

"No need to cry about it, it's just a leg." he said nonchalantly "I'll just ask Porlyusica to make me a new one, or a wheelchair. No big deal."

Lisanna opened her mouth to tell him about the healer, but was stopped by Mira, who simply shook her head. Even she knew that there was a limit to bad news and his was long gone.

"I take it Lamia Scale is still downstairs?" asked Makarov.

"Yes, they wished to stay down out of respect." said Erza.

"Good. I'll need Jura's help, to fill me in and all that. I've got a long overdue trip to the Council waiting for me."

Erza frowned sadly. "There is no rush, Master. You should consider your health first-"

"Unless my leg grows back I don't see point in waiting." he shot her down softly, but bluntly. "We're short on time as it is. I shall move as soon as I can."

Erza nodded gently.

Makarov sighed and summoned two crutches, which he supported himself on. "Let's go meet our guests." he said and proceeded to leave the room, everyone cautious, ready to catch him if needed.

After a quite long walk, Makarov finally stepped into the kitchen, where everyone else was. Jura quickly stood up from his chair and walked up to the elder with a gentle smile, his hands already extended.

"Master Makarov, it is so good to see you again." he smiled and gently shook Makarov's hand.

"Likewise, my friend." smiled Makarov and allowed the fellow Saint to aid him to the couch. Makarov plopped onto it and put his crutches away. "I've been filed in with the important details, but I am afraid I will require your help later on."

"That's perfectly fine." Jura shook his head gently "I will do everything in my power to help."

"Much appreciated."

Lyon walked up to the couch and looked at Gray. "Is everyone filled in with everything by now?" he asked him.

Gray nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Because I may have a proposition for you on how to deal with Raven Tail."

Jura looked at him sternly. "Lyon, I believe this is not the time for this right now."

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely curious "They needed their Master up and going and that's how it is."

Sherry sighed and put her hand on his shoulder. "You really need to learn how to read the mood..."

Lyon looked at her, annoyed. "What do you mean? I-"

"No, it is alright." said Makarov "The boy is right, no point in putting it away. Let us hear your proposition." he told Lyon.

Having calmed down, the Maker nodded and addressed Makarov. "During your absence a certain event came to be, a yearly one. It's called Grand Magic Games. Each year top eight guilds in Fiore battle each other for the title of Fiore's strongest."

Makarov frowned. "I recall the name. I think I've heard it on one of the last meetings I have attended. They really went through with it?"

"Yes. As you have probably heard, the Council has changed, a lot. Grand Magic Games were one of their first big tests and it paid off greatly." said Jura. "However, I must admit I'm having problems with how the games could help with Raven Tail." he added and looked at Lyon.

"As you all probably know, talking things through with them won't work." said Lyon. "They are on very hostile terms, even with other guilds. They hate your guts so obviously they will always resort to violence."

"So you're saying we should answer violence with violence?" asked Erza with a frown.

"If it's labeled as legal, yes." replied the Maker. "You will have plenty of time to resolve the issue, both inside and outside of the Arena and even more than that."

Makarov hummed to himself, unsure of the idea. Seeing what Lyon was going for, Jura cleared his throat and continued the topic.

"The games last six days in total, five of them filled with events." he explained "During that time all guilds are present on the Arena and battle each other under a very careful eye of the Council. Each participating guild chooses five team members, who will represent their guild. Raven Tail participated a few times by now and they have never broken a single rule, be it blatantly or in secret. Even your son is aware of how important it is to behave during this event. If we put this in simple terms then yes, this could be your chance to settle things through, at least a part of them."

"You mean we could pummel those pricks in front of a crowd without getting in trouble?" asked Gajeel "Sign me in already."

"Me too." Mira raised her hand.

"Don't be foolish." said sternly Erza "This isn't something as trivial as simple violence."

"No, it's something more." said Lucy, her hand on her chin. "You said we could resolve more than just one issue, yes?" she asked Lyon.

"That's right." he nodded.

"What's on your mind, Lucy?" asked Gray.

"We could use those games for more than just fighting Raven." she said slowly "As things are now, people hate us. Our name was dragged through the mud by non other than Raven Tail itself. We could prove them all wrong and save our face."

Mira arched an eyebrow. "You mean we'd have to try and win their sympathy?"

Lucy shook her head. "Not exactly. We just have to prove them, through our actions, that we are nowhere near as big of a monster as we have been made out to be during our absence. We need to rebuild the trust people had in us. That itself will be a blow to Raven Tail!"

Gray smirked. "I see. Beat them both physically and mentally!"

"Not exactly what I had on my mind but yeah, it works."

Makarov stroked his beard, lost in thought. Jura smiled and addressed him again.

"Lady Lucy has a great point. Right now, even the other guilds have been advised to keep their distance from you, some of us under close watch at all times."

Erza's eyes widened in realisation. "Blue Pegasus! They told us not to speak when on board of their ship. Could it be that-"

"It was wired. Yeah." nodded Lyon. "They didn't have you specifically in mind, but all of the guilds that had a written past with yours were under close watch. You had charges to answer for and they desperately needed someone with your insignia to provide answers. I wonder what their faces must have looked like when you showed up by their door yourself." he said to Laxus with a smirk.

The Dragon Slayer shrugged. "Same as usual. Condescending and they looked like they were about to shit a brick simply because I was breathing."

"I am so glad I was not the only one who thought of this metaphor..." sighed Makarov in relief.

Natsu nudged Erza with his elbow. "What was that saying? An orange doesn't fall far from the tree?" he whispered.

"An apple." she corrected him with held back laughter.

"Oh, right."

"Either way..." said Laxus "I say we do it. If we leave things the way they are right now, we'll have to keep moving from one shithole to another, afraid to come out in fear of people lynching us. If taking a part in this thing will get us back on our feet, I say we do it. What do you say, old man?"

"I'm with Laxus." said Mira. "Not just because I want to pummel that shark teethed prick, I simply don't want people to treat us like garbage just because of some stretched out stuff from our past. I mean, look at us. No one in here has a clean record, we've all done some bad shit at one point in our lives."

Cana put her hand on top of Wendy's head and brought her close to her chest in a sisterly hug. "I think it's safe to put Lucy and Wendy out of that, but yeah, spot on." she said.

"I...I'm not so sure about that." Lucy laughter nervously.

"I'm with Laxus, too." said Gray.

"Me too." added Gajeel.

"I also think this is the right choice here." nodded Erza.

Makarov sighed tiredly. "Very well. We will take a part in the games. If there is no other way, then we shall take what we have."

Jura smiled widely. "I thought you would say that."

Lyon smiled and shook his head. "I can't believe I'm feeling nostalgic." he said, Sherry and Yuka nodding beside him.

"You're about to receive a nostalgic assbeating." grinned Gray.

"I see you still like to sleeptalk. Remember that one time you actually told Ur to go fu-"

"No, I don't."

As both guilds started to banter with one another, Makarov smiled under his mustache, Jura doing the same next to him. Makarov looked at him, slightly flustered.

"Sorry." he excused himself "It's been a while since I've heard them this loud."

Jura shook his head gently. "There is no need to apologize. I think they should get it out of their system as much as they want. They won't have too many chances in the upcoming future."

Makarov hummed under his mustache. "How bad is it?" he asked.

Picking up the hint almost immediately, Jura sighed. "Hard to tell. Your grandson did a splendid job, which, to my knowledge, may have raised your chances. Defending against all of the charges will be hard. Especially...the one."

Makarov snorted sarcastically. "The one thing that has always been considered the heart of our guild might just be the one thing that destroys us. Talk about irony."

Jura frowned. "I will not ask any questions, for it is not my place to ask any, however, the Sages will not be as understanding. I must ask you to be as genuine as possible, no matter how horrible the truth is."

"I know, I am well aware." said the elder. "There is not a single thing I have to hide now. The cat's out of the bag. Ivan exposed us in every way possible. All I can do now is choose my words wisely."

"What are you going to do now?"

"We can not stay here, or together as it is. I don't want to see my kids in chains because of a mistake they were never even aware of. We will split up."

"You will need to give them a very valid excuse.."

Makarov thought for a moment. "The Games, I will use them. Tell them to get prepared, individually or in small groups."

Jura nodded. "Excellent idea. The Games are in three months and from what I've gathered, they will need some training."

"We need to stay low, for now at least. I will do my part and they will do theirs. We've been gone for seven years, three more months won't make a difference. But not more than that. When we come back, we come back for good."

Jura smiled. "That's just what I wanted to hear, my old friend." he said and left Makarov to himself.

In the other corner of the room, Natsu walked up to Laxus, much to the blonde's surprise.

"Yo." said Natsu "Got a moment?"

Laxus blinked in mild surprise. "Yeah, sure. What's up?"

As the Slayers started to talk, Gajeel watched them from a distance. Being able to pick up a word here and there, he clicked his tongue and looked at his fist.

"I can't stay like this." he muttered to himself, much to Levy's confusion.

Erza watched them as well, as surprised as anyone. Laxus was, much to her shock, an active participant in the conversation, something that wasn't quite common. He was using some gestures that must have helped get his point across, as Natsu's face lit up as he did so.

Smiling under her nose, she shifted her attention back to Lucy, Sherry, and Mira, who were now talking about other guilds.

After an hour of constant talking and catching up, Makarov cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, the kitchen falling deaf within seconds.

"This will be very sudden, but I have an announcement to make." said the elder "In two days we are splitting up into groups. Your goal will be preparing for the Games. Train as hard as you can, brats. In the meantime, I will focus on dealing with the Council. We shall meet three months from the day we leave in Fiore's capital, Crocus."

Erza's eyes narrowed suspiciously, so did Laxus' and Mira's. They knew this decision had a hidden purpose behind it.

"Well, Ultear did say we'll have to train to fully put that Origin thing into use." pondered Gray.

"Two days sounds good." nodded Mira "We should be healed from the procedure and ready for some solid training."

"I guess we should make some groups, then." hummed Cana and looked around the room.

Conversations took over the room once again, groups being formed left and right. Gray walked up to Juvia and cleared his throat, looking away and slightly red on his face.

"If you want I, uh...I could take you with me, to train." he choked out.

Juvia's eyes widened in shock. Soon enough her expression gave in to a smile, as she nodded. "It would be my pleasure." she said cheerfully.

Surprised at her rather composed reaction, Gray breathed out in relief and nodded, smiling as well.

Watching them, Lucy pouted and turned to Erza. "Looks like Gray ditched us." she said, offended. "I guess it's just the three of us."

Erza smiled, troubled. "Actually, I've been thinking about going with Natsu...just the two of us."

Lucy blinked, taken back. "O-oh. I see. Sorry."

Erza quickly raised her hands. "No, it's not like that!" she added apologetically "There's just something I'd like to take care of, that's all."

Lucy smiled. "Relax, there's no need to trouble yourself. I get it." she said, smiling mischievously at the end, which made Erza blush. "I'll go with Cana and Wendy. That okay with you two?" she asked them.

Both girls nodded, which made the blonde happy. Glad that she had a group, she turned to Mirajane.

"What about you?"

"I'll take Elfman and Lisanna, make them grind their Take Over." said the Demon.

On the other side, Gajeel walked up to Levy and put his hand on her head. "You're coming with me." he declared, Lily nodding behind him.

Levy sweatdropped. "I guess I'm not given a choice...again."

"Nope."

Makarov watched his kids get together with a small smile. Laxus walked up to him and leaned down to his ear.

"I know what this is all about, old man." he said "I'm staying with you, whether you like it or not."

The elder scoffed and took a swing from his mug, mumbling something to himself under his mustache. Taking it as a yes, Laxus straightened himself back up and left.

Wendy walked up to Natsu, who was just done agreeing to come with Erza on their training trip.

"Natsu, could I ask you to come with me for a moment?" she asked him shyly "Outside?"

Natsu blinked, surprised. "Sure." he replied shortly and followed her to the door, both of them vanishing into the woods a moment later.

Lucy walked up to Erza and sat beside her. The knight smirked. "Did you encourage her to do it?" she asked her.

"Nope." said Lucy with a small bit of pride. "All of a sudden she declared she's going to talk to him by herself."

Pleasantly surprised, Erza nodded slowly, with Lucy already talking about a different topic.

For the first time since their return, they felt truly at peace. Makarov was back, they were given a chance at a new beginning and they caught up with old friends. Even if briefly, they were given a moment of genuine peace, something they needed dearly.

 **August 23rd, Fairy Tail's home.**

The last two days went by fast, spent on planning, chatting and taking it easy before the next couple months.

As promised, Fairy Tail was now divided into groups and standing before their now former home, with majority of Lamia Scale leaving the day before, Jura being the only one, who stayed.

"I'm not going to bore you with speeches this time. You know the drill." Makarov said to his kids. "Stay safe, don't cause trouble and give your all. We will all meet again in Crocus in three months. It's time to take back what's ours and show those filthy-"

"Master." scolded him Lisanna.

Makarov cleared his throat, embarrassed of losing his cool. "Well...be safe." he choked out.

As the groups said their goodbyes, they went their separate ways.

The Strauss siblings decided to settle down in the mountain chain near Magnolia, where they could polish their physical abilities as much as they wanted to.

Gray and Juvia left North, both of them willing to strengthen their elements.

Cana, Lucy, and Wendy left with no clear goal in their mind, Carla accompanying them as well.

Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily did the same, although Gajeel was envious of Mira and her siblings, or rather their idea.

Erza and Natsu, on the other hand, were both aimed to a location set by Erza, with Natsu not even trying to argue about their destination.

Lucy hugged Erza as hard as she could. "Be safe. Write, if you can. We won't be moving too much." she said into her neck.

"Of course." replied the knight and let go of Lucy to say goodbye to Wendy.

Gray walked up to Natsu and extended his right fist to him. "See you later, flamebrain. Don't do anything stupid."

Natsu smirked and fistbumped his teammate. "You too, pervert."

Gray snorted and walked away to hug Erza.

Once last farewells were exchanged, Fairy Tail split apart completely, Makarov and Thunder Legion being the only ones remaining.

Natsu and Erza cut through the forest straight to Magnolia Station, much to Natsu's dismay. Their destination was Clover Town, a location unknown to the Dragon Slayer.

"If we want to prepare for the Games, I must visit this place." explained the redhead as they walked through the station. "All of my armors are either damaged or destroyed. My regular blacksmith operates there, or at least I hope he still is. We will go there and get my equipment up and ready."

Natsu nodded slowly. "Sounds like a plan." he said "Do you have a goal for after we get there?"

Erza's face dropped a little. "Yes, I do." she said quietly. "There is a place I'd like to visit with you. We'll do it once I drop my things off."

"Sure thing." he said, not picking up the shift in her mood.

A couple minutes later the pair was sitting in a train, Natsu already holding onto a railing with all his might. A few hours and many close calls later, they arrived safely at Clover Town, with what Erza remembered as an obscure station being freshly renovated, workers still lurking around after finishing their job.

The two got off the train and walked out of the station, a big map of the town standing before the exit.

Grateful for it, Erza walked up to the map and took a look, curious whether she still remembered her way around. Natsu, who was still a bit pale, joined her and looked around, also curious.

"Well, is it still here?" he asked her after a moment.

Frowning a bit, Erza bit her lip in mild frustration. His original location was taken by a flower shop, which was not good news in the slightest. Praying that he simply relocated, she looked at every single local and after a while she breathed out in relief.

"Yes, he is." she said with a smile. "He's on the other side of the town now, not too far from here. Let's go."

Half an hour later they found themselves inside the store, a kind looking man greeting them from behind the counter.

"Welcome! How may I...Well, I'll be damned!"

Having recognized Erza, the man walked over the counter to greet her, his hands already extended.

"It is so good to see you again!" he told her with a smile, his hands shaking hers.

"Likewise." replied the redhead. "I was worried you closed shop."

"No, I got a better deal in here." he waved his hands. "Well then, what brings my favorite client to my humble shop after so long?"

Erza nodded and closed her eyes. Suddenly, multiple portals opened, pieces of armors falling all over the store. Soon enough the entire floor was littered with armors, both broken and in pieces. Natsu sweatdropped at the sight.

The blacksmith, on the other hand, was not phased. He looked at the armors and nodded slowly.

"I see." he said slowly. "Looks like you've been quite busy lately."

"You could say that." said flustered Erza.

The man picked up a few pieces of her Flame Empress Armor and watched them closely.

"Yeah, I don't think I will be able to put this thing back together." he said solemnly. "I could merge it back together but it will thinner and I doubt the enchantments will carry on. I think it'd be best to make it from scratch again."

Erza's face dropped. "Is there really no other way?"

"I'm afraid there isn't." sighed the smith. "I can start working on the others, put them back together until they are good as new, but this one will take a long while. I'm going to need some powerful flames for this one."

Erza nodded slowly and sighed. "Very well. If there's nothing to be done..."

"Why don't you use mine?" asked Natsu.

The smith and Erza looked at him, confused. Natsu shifted his eyes between them back and forth, uncomfortable.

"You said you needed flames, I use flames. Would that work?" he repeated.

The blacksmith wondered for a second. "That depends...Are your flames stronger or equally strong as the ones I used for the original?"

"Yes, they definitely are." threw in Erza, her voice still surprised. "He's a Fire Dragon Slayer."

The smith's eyes widened. "Let's get to work." he said shortly and grabbed Natsu's hand, leading him into his forge, much to his shock. He had only a moment to turn around to Erza, who waved him goodbye with a smug smirk on her face.

"All right, lad." said the smith and put Natsu in a spot, before going through one of his chests. He pulled out a massive piece of metal and put it on the ground. "Punch it." he instructed.

Natsu blinked. "What?"

"Use your flames and punch it." repeated the man. "This metal will seal your magic and spread it accordingly."

Natsu looked around the shop. "Are you sure you want me-"

"Son, I know what I'm doing."

Natsu sighed in defeat and readied his pose, his right hand already lit up. He took a deep breath and stepped in, before smashing his fist directly into the metal, a current of wind escaping from the struck place, pots, swords and armors flying all over the room.

Much to his shock, the metal sucked all of his flames in, immediately changing color to scarlet red, yellow cracks pulsating all over its surface.

The blacksmith whistled, impressed. "Damn, boy, that was something. You almost broke the damn thing."

Natsu straightened his posture. "So, now what?"

"Now, this is where my job begins." he said and pulled out a pair of glasses from his chest pocket. "I will shape this metal into an armor for lady Scarlet. Tell her I will prioritize this beauty over the rest. Should be done in three to five days."

"Three to five days...sure." nodded Natsu, but the smith was no longer paying attention to him. Sighing, the Dragon Slayer left the forge and met Erza in the main room, where she was admiring one of the armors from the display.

Noticing him, she turned around. "All done?"

"Yeah, the guy said it should be ready in three to five days."

"Very well. Let us be on our way."

"Where are we going?" asked Natsu and put his backpack on his back.

Erza swallowed hard. "You'll find out soon enough." she said, much to his confusion. Despite that, he respected her wish and did not ask any further questions, as he was now following her out of town in silence.

They walked in silence for a little over an hour, now cutting through the outskirts of a forest.

As they walked, Erza was getting more tense with each passing minute, her breathing hard and irregular. It didn't take Natsu long to figure out she was scared of something, something he couldn't help her, most likely. He could see her turning and looking around, a glimpse of nostalgia written on her face, sometimes with a ghost of a smile. She definitely knew this area, reasons still unknown to the Dragon Slayer.

The knight smiled gently under her nose at the sight of the so familiar boulder, now completely covered with moss. After all these years she's still yet to find a more comfortable spot to have lunch at.

The closer they got, the weirder the feeling in Erza's gut was. She was afraid, that she felt no shame in admitting to, however, it was not fear of what happened that day. It was the fear of how she'd feel when she set her foot there again.

Erza walked up a small cliff and pushed the branches aside, freezing at the sight. Following her in suit, Natsu looked at her curiously and then shifted his eyes forward.

They were now standing above a small, ruined village, small, destroyed and burned houses now completely swallowed by vines, grass as high as their hips flowing gently with the wind.

Erza bit her lip and jumped down the cliff, Natsu right behind her. He landed and started to look around curiously, his nose already at work. It smelled old, dust and wildlife filling up his nostrils.

"What is this place?" he asked as he walked up to one of the houses and put his hand on its wall, his voice a little hoarse from being silent for a long while.

"Rosemary Village." choked out Erza. "I was born and raised here."

Natsu snapped his head at her, shocked. He then looked around, trying to figure the situation in. "So..."

Erza sighed and walked further into the village. "This is the place I was taken from into Tower of Heaven when I was little." she explained. "They came in and killed all the adults. They took all children in as slaves. I was one of them."

Natsu frowned. "Your family?"

Erza shook her head. "I don't remember them well, but they most likely died, either from the flames or swords. One thing I remember is that, as a child, I was very happy. We didn't have much money or luxuries, but everyone lived in joy and peace.

She walked up to an old well and caressed it with her hand. "This used to be a very beautiful place." she said with a nostalgic smile that was meant to mask the pain in her heart. It soon gave in to a sad frown. "Now it's nothing but a ghost."

Natsu walked up to her slowly and looked around again. "I disagree." he said.

The redhead blinked, lost. He locked his eyes with hers. "I don't think it's a ghost at all. Ghosts are usually forgotten, left to themselves, meant to haunt. Yet you're here, again."

Natsu grabbed Erza's hand and gave it a light squeeze, much to her embarrassment, her cheeks growing red in an instant. " You remembered, and you are not afraid of it, so no, it's not a ghost. Not until you make it to be." he continued, his voice slightly nervous due to the action he did a moment earlier. "I think it's still beautiful. It reminds me of Sunspear, the village I am from."

Erza stopped blushing. "Does it really?" she asked, genuinely curious. "

Natsu nodded. "Yeah.". He dragged her by the hand into the center of the village and started to point with his finger. "We also had chains like this one." he said and pointed at a row of houses. "The Chief used to say that it made the village look more organised and looked nicer. And in the center..." he added and dragged her further in. "We had a well at the center of the village, and..."

He continued to ramble about his village with a smile on his face, but Erza didn't listen, at least not fully. She was too busy watching his face with a smile glued to hers. He looked like a kid showing off his home to a friend and she welcomed that with open arms.

"...We didn't have a windmill, though." Natsu finished his monologue and took a deep breath to catch some air. Erza laughed at it and nodded slowly.

"Looks like I win." she hummed playfully.

He looked at her in a mild outrage. "No, you don't. You didn't have fields!"

"We did. They were a bit to the west from here, that's where we got our grains for the mill."

"Bullshit."

Erza chuckled and looked around again in nostalgia. Her feelings of dread were magically gone, now replaced with sentiment and a wish that some things hadn't happened.

After a while of silence, Natsu broke it. "One day, I'll take you to Sunspear." he told Erza. "Then you will see that I was right all along."

The knight raised her hand and patted him on the shoulder. "I will gladly follow you to prove just how wrong you are."

Natsu opened his mouth to argue again, but dropped it with a sigh. He scratched the back of his head and looked around. "Hey, so...Do you want to stay here for a while? While the guy makes your armors?"

Erza froze. "You want to stay here?" she asked him with disbelief.

He shrugged. "Sure. Not everything was burnt down and we'd have some privacy here, to train and all that. Plus, this place is important to you, right? By staying here, we could honor it and liven it up a bit."

She bit her lip, conflicted. On one hand, she'd love to spend a night here again, the one place besides Fairy Tail she could call home. On the other, no matter what they did, some things just wouldn't be the same, even if they tried.

Erza shook her head, frustrated with herself. This was just another step that had to be made to move forward, both as a person and an adult.

"Very well." she said, finally. "We will stay here for a few days."

Natsu grinned and grabbed his backpack. "All right, I'm gonna start unpacking, then." he declared and started to pull out their sleeping bags and water bottles. "Wanna train once I'm done with this?" he asked her in the middle of unrolling his bag.

Erza blinked. "I'd love to, but all my armors are in repairs, I don't think we'd get much progress like this."

Natsu grinned. "You still have your fists, right?"

"I really don't think it is a good idea to start with that, we're still not fully healed."

"Oh, yeah, you're right. Your losing streak would probably increase again if we did, my bad."

Erza's eyebrow twitched. "I'm not childish enough to consider sparring match wins something worthy of boasting about-"

"Sure, whatever you say, zero."

Erza threw her bag to the ground and unbuckled her belt, her sword dropping to the ground. "Put up your fists. Right now."

Grinning, Natsu put down his things and stood up, raising his fists. "Whenever you're ready." he said, as Erza dashed at him as fast as she could, their training session already started.

An hour later Erza found herself rolling on the ground. She stopped after a few meters underneath a tree and simply plopped onto her back, her limbs scattered around like a starfish. Her breathing was hard and hair messy. She Requipped out of her armor into her regular clothes and bit her lip in frustration.

"Still too sloppy..." she cursed herself under her breath.

Natsu walked up to her and sat down next to her figure, massaging his jaw.

"That last hit was really nice." he praised her. "Still, looks like seven has just turned into eight."'

"Go to hell."

Natsu snickered and looked into the now orange sky, the sun slowly settling in behind the hills.

"That thing the time chick did, it's really working." he said, serious. "I've never had this much trouble with you, as far as sparrings go."

Erza nodded slowly. "Yes, I can definitely feel progress, however, it is up to us to make the best out of the opportunity that was given to us. We must polish our bodies to draw out the most potential out of Second Origin."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Erza looked at him. "This reminds me – what were you talking with Laxus about the other day?"

"You'll see soon enough." he told her with a grin, much to her annoyance. Dropping the subject, the redhead sat up and looked at the sky.

After a few minutes of silence, Erza took a deep breath and turned over to face Natsu. "Natsu, we need to talk." she told him, her voice slightly shaky.

The Dragon Slayer blinked and looked at her. "Sure, what's up?"

Erza took a sharp breath again. "It's about what you said on the island. You know, before..."

Natsu paled. "Oh...oh, that." he choked out and cleared his throat.

"Yes. You see..." mumbled the knight, her face growing red.

She was stopped by Natsu's hand being held before her face. "Stop." he said.

Erza blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?" she asked.

"There's something I have to confess to you." he said, his face matching hers. "I, uh...That day, I...I wasn't asleep. In the house, that is."

Erza blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Only then did her mind register what he said, her face now matching her hair color.

"Y-you were awake?!" she squeaked in embarrassment.

Natsu nodded, also blushing. "I, uh… didn't know how to react or respond, just like now. I don't really know what to do, I've never been good at this human interactions thing..."

He took a deep breath of bravery and grabbed her hand, as gently as he could. He moved in a bit closer, her eyes shifting to meet his on their own.

"But I do know one thing." he said quietly. "You are the first person in years around whom I feel genuinely alive, someone I can truly trust. Sometimes I feel like my old self resurfaces when I'm with you and at first it freaked me out...but not anymore."

The knight smiled dearly and squeezed his hand back. "I feel the same." she said softly.

Natsu nodded a few times and cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. "Lucy gave me some tips on what to do in a situation like this and, uh...I'm out of tips right now."

Erza laughed. "Of course she did." she said. Her face then dropped in a matter of a second. "Wait, she knows?"

"Yeah, her and Gray heard you talking to me that day." said Natsu bluntly, not taking the weight of the situation in.

Erza blushed again and started to mumble something under her nose, something even he couldn't pick up.

Natsu snorted in amusement and grabbed her hand again to get her attention. "So, uh...Wanna give it one more chance?" he asked upon getting it. "You know, third time a charm?"

Erza laughed out loud. "You finally got a saying right." she said, amused, which grew even bigger when he repeated what she said in a mocking tone.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down and gave Erza's hand one more, final squeeze.

"I love you." he declared, his voice clear and audible.

Erza smiled widely and squeezed his hand back.

"I love you, too." she said with confidence.

As both mages leaned forward, they weren't exactly sure what they were doing, neither of them familiar with the procedure. They did know one thing – that it was something they were both sure of, no regrets lingering in their hearts.

The wind flowed gently through their hair and the leaves above their head, their gentle noise carrying over the plain like a melody, and as the sun has finally hid behind the hills, Erza and Natsu kissed gently underneath the tree, lost in the moment.

They weren't sure what the future held for them, or how their now crossed paths would unfold, however, they did know one thing.

That they were no longer alone in this world.

 **End of Chapter 35. To be continued in Chapter 36: Crocus.**


	37. Crocus

**Due to mild confusion, I have accidentally replaced chapter 35 with 34, making it a duplicated chapter. I am very sorry for that and they issue has been already fixed!**

* * *

 **November 15th, X791**

A thunder pierced through the night sky like a whip, the loud crack spreading all over the land below like a wave, rain pouring down with no mercy whatsoever.

A young woman with dark-blue hair readjusted her hood and wiped water off her glasses with her thumb, scoffing gently under her nose, before going further into the naked woods, frozen leaves cracking under her feet.

After a few more minutes of walking, her eyes spotted a light in the distance, a small sensation of relief spreading across her chest.

"Finally..." sighed Emilia and resumed walking, her step much more enthusiastic with her goal in plain view. She was closing in to a small hut right by the bank of the river, a small boat docked right behind it.

She walked up to the door and knocked on it gently, but hard enough to let the owners know someone was by the door. She could hear footsteps closing in to the door and soon an elderly, short man with a long beard and bald head stood in the doorway, cautiously observing the woman.

"Yes, how may I help you?" he asked her in a soft voice.

"Excuse me for bothering you at this time of the day..." Emilia bowed in respect. "But I am afraid I will need your services. I need to get to a certain place, in the swamps. I was told you could help me."

The man's face relaxed, as he opened the door slightly more. "I see, a client...Well, ya sure did choose a weird time, young lady." he shook his head. "Gimme a minute, gotta get ready… Come on in, don't stand out there in the rain."

Emilia bowed her head gently and stepped inside, careful not to bring any dirt into the house. It was a small, two level hut, with furniture that was most definitely handmade, as was the hut. The man opened a cabinet and searched through it, mumbling to himself under his nose, which Emilia picked up as him counting the gear he needed.

By the table sat a woman, not much younger than the man, as well as a little girl. She looked at Emilia curiously and left the table to walk up to the woman. She was very small, the top of her head reaching Emilia's waist. She looked up at the woman and blinked slowly.

"What do ya need my daddy for?" she asked. "Are ya goin' to the swamps?!" she asked with childish enthusiasm and hope. "Can I come too?!"

Emilia stared the child down for a moment, before cracking a warm smile. She kneeled down to meet the girl at eye level and put her head on top of her head, tousling her hair a bit.

"I'm afraid not." she said softly. "Your parents probably don't want you out there. I've heard there are monsters lurking there...Monsters that like to kidnap little girls such as yourself." she added in a whisper after leaning a bit closer.

The girl laughed. "No, there are not! Monsters don't exist!"

Emilia smiled. "I see you're a much bigger girl than you look."

The man, now clad in his rubber fishing pants, as well as a thick shirt and a fishing hat, stepped out of the cabinet and looked at his daughter.

"Kaya, don't bother the lady!" he scolded her gently. "My apologies, she is very open to strangers...Doesn't know what keeping to herself is."

"No, it is perfectly fine." smiled Emilia and stood up. "Shall we be on our way?"

"Yeah, we're ready to go. I'll be back soon." the man said to his family and exited the hut.

"Bye, bye!" Kaya waved to Emilia, who waved her back and stepped out as well.

Luckily for them, the rain died down a bit, much to the fisherman's relief.

"Gotta say, I've been thinkin' about closin' it down, the rowing thing." he admitted whilst undoing the knot to his boat.

"I've been told you've been in this business for over 20 years. I'd assumed you knew this place better than anyone." said Emilia.

"Aye, I do. But this place has been...strange for the past few months. Not normal." the man threw the rope into the water and stepped into the boat, Emilia following behind. "Weird angles, currents, and changes in the depth of the river – I know them all so well I could swim you through with my eyes closed. But those sudden changes in weather...Nope, sign me out." he laughed and pushed the boat away from the dock.

Emilia frowned gently. "Changes in weather?"

"Aye." nodded the fisherman and started to paddle through the river. "There's a place, about halfway through, where it sometimes gets windy all of a sudden, even during the calmest, sunniest of days. Hell, once I saw trees bein' cut to pieces by that wind further down the road. Woulda be me if I didn't turn around in time."

Emilia's frown deepened a bit. "I see. That surely does sound like a valid reason to stop getting people across the river."

"Aye. Gonna get an earful from my lady when I get back, that's for sure. But what can a man do? Money is short, fishin' ain't like it used to be..."

"I wouldn't worry about that." assured him Emilia. "You will not have to get close to that place. My destination was never the trading village on the other end of the swamp."

The man chuckled. "Well, that sure sounds reassuring...Are ya after the mushrooms that grow there? Gotta say, one of my favorite foods, especially with stew."

"No, it's not them." replied shortly Emilia. "It's a private matter, one I'd appreciate if you didn't try to look into."

"Oh, I see. Excuse me."

"It's okay."

The rest of the way went by in relative silence, the fisherman's humming being the only sound coming from the boat. Once they took a sharp turn to the right and passed a big boulder covered in moss, the man sighed.

"Well, here we are. This is where it usually starts to get weird." he said. "Should I stop?"

"Yes, please. If possible, I'd like you to wait for me here. I will be back soon." said Emilia and jumped out of the boat, her feet submerging a bit in the mud.

"From the looks of it ya know how to handle yourself..." said the man, his eyes wandering around Emilia's blade peeking from underneath her cloak. "But do be careful, young lady."

Emilia turned to him and smiled gently. "I will. Thank you."

With that said, the woman stepped into the swamps, her senses already focused and ready to react.

The old man's story only confirmed her reports, which, to be fair, was not to her liking. She's been at it for a month now and it has never gone easy.

Cursing her Master under her nose, Emilia spotted a cave not too far from the spot she left the old man in. Noticing, that the wind around it was a bit unnatural, she sharpened her senses even more and started to walk toward it.

Just as she expected, as soon as she started to close in, the wind changed direction, now trying to push her away. Pushing her boots hard into the mud, Emilia grit her teeth and cut through the wall of wind, now mere few feet away from the entrance.

Upon stepping in, the wind stopped, complete silence falling inside of the dark cave. Emilia gently shifted her hand towards the hilt of her sword and started to slowly proceed further in, her eyes, ears, and nose scouting the area with utmost care.

All of a sudden she picked up a shift to her right and pulled her sword out just in time to prevent herself from losing her head, her blade successfully blocking a giant scythe, the sound of clashing metal echoing painfully across the cave, a current of wind spreading all over it from the clash.

Although she couldn't see, Emilia could tell, that she hit the spot, much to her annoyance. Her attacker hummed under their nose and tried to push their weapon further, only to be stopped by Emilia, who didn't put too much force into stopping it.

"Not bad, lady." said the attacker in a hoarse, manly voice, his teeth beaming under his hood in the darkness. "Now...Who the hell are you? What are you looking for in here?"

"Now, there was no need to be so brutal from the get-go." said Emilia and tightened the grip on her sword, the man still trying to push his scythe right into her neck. "I came here to speak to you, not fight you. Do take pity on this fragile girl here, will you?"

The man remained silent for a moment, before releasing a sound that resembled a snort mixed with a chuckle.

"Who the hell are you calling fragile here?" he asked in a strained but amused voice and broke contact with Emilia, before jumping back, his dominant arm throbbing from effort.

Emilia simply lowered her blade, no sign of tiredness showing from her side.

The cloaked man put his scythe by his side and exhaled tiredly. "So, what the hell are you here for? I don't think I was expecting a guest."

Emilia put her blade back in its scabbard. "I've been sent here by someone."

"Who?"

"Someone, who thinks your talents could be put to a better use than hiding in swamps."

The man clicked his tongue in irritation. "Name, bitch. I'm asking you for a name here."

Emilia's eyes narrowed in the darkness. "Ivan. Raven Tail wishes to recruit you into their ranks."

The man spat to the side. "That pile of filth has the balls to ask me for a favor? He's as big of a joker as he's been in the past."

"He is well aware of the level of affection you have for him." said Emilia with a colorless tone. "However, he is also convinced, that hiding in No Man's Land and looking behind your back in fear for your life because of the list of names you gave the Council in return for a release from prison is, by no chance, a fate that bestows someone once known as the Grim Reaper."

The man's whole body twitched, Emilia's words striking him to the very core. Thanks to her magic, she could hear the grip on his scythe tighten, his mind most likely considering striking once again.

"I wasn't told to use brute force to obtain your cooperation, so there is absolutely no need for us to fight." she said in an attempt to defuse the situation. "Still, I think my proposition is better than...whatever _this_ is." she motioned at the cave with her arms. "The decision is yours...Erigor."

Erigor scoffed and sat down on a rock. "Did your digging, did you?" he snarled. "What does that pile of shit want me for anyway?"

Emilia adjusted her glasses. "Ivan is offering you an opportunity for revenge. Your job will be unlike any other you'd taken before. You will make it out however you manage it to be, hard and humiliating, or easy and satisfying."

Erigor's eyes narrowed. "Revenge?"

"Fairy Tail."

Those two words were enough to make the man's blood boil in his veins. He shot back to his feet, his eyes bloodshot and wide open.

"I take it I have managed to get your attention?" asked Emilia.

The man stared in her direction for a minute, before cracking a wide grin, his yellow teeth in full display. He chuckled to himself and walked over to the side, where a lamp was on a stone desk, most likely carved by his magic. He lit it up, the light scaring the darkness away, his cloaked figure now in full display before Emilia.

The man turned around, his bald head peeking from under the hood.

"You sure did."

* * *

 **November 16th, Raven Tail HQ, Magnolia**

A tall, scrawny, redheaded man walked down the spiral stairs, torches throwing gentle light at his pale face. He didn't like going down there. The place creeped him out, especially when...occupied.

The man walked down the last couple of stairs and pushed the door, the light blinding him as soon as a gap formed. Squinting his eyes, he pushed them open and stepped into the room. He was greeted with the sight of his Master, who was, once again, caressing a giant, green crystal.

Ivan looked to the side curiously. "Oh, Rorge. It's rare to see you crawl your way in here." he chuckled and turned back around to Mavis' body. "You must have brought some good news along."

Rorge shivered at the sight and stepped further into the room.

"Yeah." he said. "Got a call from Emilia, she said she's done. She'll be coming home soon."

Ivan hummed to himself. "That is some good news indeed." he said. "It took her quite a long time, though. Were there complications?"

"She didn't mention any, so I dunno."

"True. Even if there have been any, she never would have mentioned them. I am looking forward to our new additions. Thank you for this report."

Rorge nodded walked up to his Master's side and looked at the crystal. "What the hell do you keep this thing around for anyway?" he asked. "You didn't even let us drag it out for the speech, we had to make a fake. It was a pain in the ass."

Ivan blinked slowly. "Oh, I did not tell you? Forgive me, I have been rather occupied as of late."

Rorge squinted. "We found the damn thing six years ago."

Ivan laughed out loud and took a step back, taking the full view of the crystal in. "It appears your reputation of a locked mouth will be tested once again." he said to the ginger. "It might be overwhelming. Are you certain you want to know?"

Rorge sighed and shrugged. "Might as well, maybe I will stop being creeped out every time I see it."

"Oh, I doubt that will be the case." said Ivan, much to the man's distress. "However, you might still find some interest in this story." he added quickly.

Seeing no resistance, Ivan chuckled.

"This, my dear friend, is Mavis Vermillion." he gestured at the crystal. "When I say it is her, I mean it quite literally. What we are looking at right now is her lifeless body, encased in a crystal."

Rorge gulped. "Yeah, I am already regretting this." he said, his body shivering.

"Told you so."

Ivan walked around it and put his hand on the crystal, caressing it. "A hundred years ago, Mavis met a certain man. A man, whom she had grown to love. They knew each other from before and they were both...special, in one way or another. Their love, however, was a forbidden affair, one that ended with Mavis' demise."

Rorge whistled. "What, was the guy too good or something?"

Ivan chuckled. "In one way or another...The man was cursed, and it was the curse, that took her life. One of the founding members of Fairy Tail, Precht-"

"Hold on." interrupted him Rorge. "Hades? The one from Grimoire? Ge founded the guild?"

"Precisely. He found her body and had grown desperate to save her. In an attempt to prevent her body from...deteriorating, he sealed her within this crystal, until a way to bring her back was found. This, however, had an unforeseen effect, for Mavis' body was, as I have mentioned, special, which when combined with Precht's countless experiments and attempts... It gave birth to this."

Ivan motioned at the crystal with his arms, much to Rorge's confusion.

"What is "this"?" he asked.

Ivan smiled. "The source of absolute infinite magic power...Lumen Histoire, or, as my father preferred, Fairy Heart."

Rorge's eyes went wide. "Infinite magic?!" he choked out. "Are you for real?!"

Ivan grinned devilishly. "Quite real. It is rumored, that if it came to become the source of Etherion's core, it could be fired every five minutes until the end of time."

Sweat ran down the redhead's temple. "And Fairy Tail kept it all this time...in a basement?"

"Precisely."

The man walked up to the crystal, his thirst for power and greed overcoming the disgust he felt toward the item. He gently put his hand on it, magic warming up the palm of his hand.

"Amazing..." he whispered. "We could conquer the world with this..."

"Yes...yes we could." whispered Ivan and caressed the crystal. "But not just yet. Go back upstairs, Rorge. Tell the others to start getting ready. I will follow you shortly." he ordered.

Although hesitant, the redhead bowed gently and left the room, but not before throwing one more greedy look at the crystal.

Having confirmed, that the room was empty once again, and that Rorge's footsteps were a good distance away, Ivan leaned over and pressed his forehead against the crystal, his eyes closed.

With a long sigh of anxiety and fear, he whispered to himself and the crystal. "Just a little bit closer...Wait for just a little more..."

* * *

 **Afternoon of November 16th, outskirts of Crocus.**

Clanks of metal being hit, accompanied by grunts and growls echoed across the fields and plains, spreading over it like the wind, that gently made the blades of grass bow down toward the ground.

Two figures were fighting in the middle of seemingly nowhere, their clashes leaving sparks of bright, orange light in the air.

Erza, clad in her new Flame Empress Armor, gripped her blade as hard as she could and flexed her body to withstand the weight of Natsu's punch. Having caught it with her blade just in front of her chest, she felt her body slide backwards on the grass, her armored feet leaving a trail on the ground.

The new version of the armor had very little differences to the original, as far as appearance goes. Its color was much more scarlet than it used to be, some parts changed from orange to crimson. The blade was slightly more robust, both in weight and size, and the hair pieces, that previously kept Erza's hair in twintails on both sides of her head, were now replaced by just one, her hair tied behind her head in a ponytail. The biggest and most important change of all, however, was in its enchantments. Now, the armor granted Erza 75% immunity to fire, as opposed to the 50% held by the predecessor.

Erza smirked from behind her blade and swung it to the side.

"What's wrong, is that all you've got?" she taunted her boyfriend. "Did I overwork you these past weeks?"

Natsu grinned and swiped his forearm under his nose to get rid of sweat. His attire did not change too much, if at all, even. Currently his torso was naked, both his jacket and scarf lying somewhere to the side.

"Change this thing and we'll see who's the overworked one." he grinned and stepped in as fast as he could, much to Erza's surprise. He clenched his right fist and bypassed her guard, planting it into the girl's stomach, only to then follow with a right kick to the same spot.

Erza gasped, the sheer impact damaging her more than the hits themselves. Nonetheless, she smiled while sliding back and dashed right back in.

"It was a good idea to start getting closer to Crocus in advance." she told Natsu while swinging her sword at his head. "We can still train freely while advancing toward the city."

Dodging the blade, Natsu nodded. "Yeah. You said we were close, right?" he asked while throwing a left hook at her ribs.

Blocking the strike with her blade, Erza nodded back. "Yes. I think we will reach it within next 3 days, just in time for the tournament." she said and managed to land a kick to his ribs.

Natsu slid back on the grass and massaged his sore ribs. Erza swung her blade down, a smug grin glued to her face.

"I think we should call it a day for now." she said. "I'm starting to get a bit hungry and we haven't made any progress on walking yet."

"Gimme 20 more minutes, will ya?" asked her Natsu and cracked his neck. "That's all I'll need. I'll take one more turn at cooking in return."

Erza sighed. "Honestly, you might as well offer a punishment in exchange."

"What?!" he asked, completely blindsided.

"No offense, Natsu, but your meals are...inconsistent, to put it gently. I do enjoy some of your dishes, but sometimes they are rather...hard to swallow."

"Fine. I'll make something you actually like. Deal?" he asked, but before she could answer, a small thought screamed at him in the back of his mind, which made him quickly follow. "No cakes though! I'm not gonna try that shit ever again."

Although slightly disappointed, Erza smiled and nodded. "Very well, we can buy one on our way to the city. I will request something else from you." she said. "So, what was it you wanted to test?"

As soon as she asked the question, the answer was already in front of her, Natsu's grin adding more oil to the fire. Feeling, that the upcoming 20 minutes were going to be quite tiring ones, Erza's body glowed white, her hair now tied in a thick braid, with a long spear forming in her hands.

"I see." she said shortly with an excited grin and bent her knees, Natsu already lashing out at her.

LINIA

A large, tall man flew across the hall, crashing right into a group of his friends, who were already beaten up. The crash made them destroy the benches and chairs, splinters and pieces of wood flying everywhere.

A short man with a big, round nose adjusted his iron helmet and spat some blood to the side.

"Curse you..." he growled under his breath and put up his bow. "Men, do not falter! Give them hell!" he bellowed in an order and summoned a red arrow made out of magic, his comrades, who managed to stay on their feet doing the same, their colors different.

Their targets were two young men, one with blonde, and the other with black hair, their expressions showing excitement and indifferent respectively.

"Fire!" yelled the big nosed man, a rain of arrows making its way towards the intruders.

The blonde haired man grinned even wider and a second later the entire squadron of archers, along with the guildhall itself, was blown away by a mix of black and white light.

The debris, along with pieces of armors and unconscious, battered bodies flew in every possible direction, the ceiling collapsing, the already setting, orange sun peeking into the previously dark room.

The two men emerged from the dust, patting their clothes down to get rid of dirt. The blonde man sighed in boredom and sat down on a massive block of the wall, his elbows on his knees.

"Man, you'd think there would be some resistance here." he moaned. "We traveled all the way here and this dark guild didn't even warm us up...Talk about waste of time."

His companion, whose expression did not change a bit, scolded him. "Stop whining, Sting. Given our level of strength, you should have known a challenge would be very unlikely. These scum were not even worth being called a dark guild. Just a bunch of bandits following outdated ways of history, who somehow learned magic from a book they'd stolen from merchants."

Sting laughed out loud and slapped his knee, the earring in his left ear shaking violently. He was wearing a blue vest with grey fur and dark-blue gloves, that reached up to his biceps. He had black and white baggy pants that were tucked in his black, tall boots.

"You always know how to cheer me up, Rogue." he told his friend and wiped tears out of his eyes.

Rogue, whose clothing consisted of a black cloak, jacket and pants, sighed tiredly at his friend's attitude.

"I wasn't trying to." he admitted.

"Say, do we have anything else to do on our way back?" asked Sting, ignoring his friend's remark. "I wouldn't mind doing a job or two more."

"No, that was the last of it."

"Oh, man. That's a shame."

"I think it'd be wise to conserve our energy." said Rogue. "The Games are almost upon us. Regardless of the fact, that we will win, we must not lower our guard."

Sting's smile was extinguished. He sighed through his nose and looked into the sky.

"Yeah. Probably." he said quietly.

Rogue looked at him in mild confusion. "What is it? You're usually very hyper about the Games."

"Yeah." muttered Sting. He then looked back down at his hands. "I know we've won the thing almost every time, but I have to say, they felt rather...hollow. I never felt truly satisfied. Did you feel like it, too?"

"In one way or another." said Rogue. "There's this rumor I've heard, but it has absolutely no credibility, so don't let it get your hopes up."

Sting blinked. "What is it?"

"Apparently Fairy Tail is going to participate in the Games."

Sting's eyes widened. "What did you say?" he choked out and slowly stood up to his feet.

"As I've said, I have no reliable source for this. Just something I've heard a few days ago on our way here. If you ask me, it might be true. They've been dead for years, not a single one of their members dared to show their face around. If they really are taking a part, then it must be _them._ "

Sting's lips twisted in a sinister grin. Seeing this, Rogue quickly raised his hand.

"I understand how you're feeling, but-"

"Yeah, I know. I know, Rogue." said Sting. He then clenched his fist and punched his left hand. "But even if it's just a rumor. I just can't help getting excited…You must feel the same way, don't you?"

Rogue shrugged. "Not really. I feel no obligation to prove myself to anyone."

"Neither do I. I just want to measure him up with my own eyes."

Sting stood up from his rock and grinned into the sky.

"I might just finally find the thrill I've been looking for."

* * *

 **Morning of November 20th, Crocus**

The sun has barely managed to climb its way from behind the horizon, its lazy, orange light falling wherever it could, filling it up with life.

Despite that, however, sounds of hammers, nails, blocks of wood and loud voices were echoing across the city for at least an hour now, the last preparations for the Games in full motion.

Inn keepers were trying their best to make sure their establishments looked as clean and desirable as possible. Shop owners were busy carrying boxes full of merchandise, food, drinks, clothes and souvenirs. Restaurants and pubs were putting up more tables than it was previously agreed on, their fight for every client in full motion.

The city was, as it was to be expected, excited and thrilled about the upcoming few days. Not just from the purely economic point of view, which, although made perfect sense, was not carried out from greed, or pettiness. No. Over the past seven years, the Games have become one of Crocus' trademarks, something the capital of Fiore was known for all across the continent, and each year was a chance to outdo the previous one and set the bar higher than ever before.

Visitors from all over the country, as well as the continent, were slowly making their way into the city, the gates full and crowdy.

Individuals of various looks talked, bickered and made their way through into the unknown city, the attractions starting as soon as a few meters past the gate.

Natsu and Erza were among them, both of them dosing their usual attires, their backpacks hanging on their shoulders behind their figures.

"Looks like we have made it just in time." said Erza with a smile.

"Yup." said Natsu, his eyes already looking around the place. He's never been to a city as big as this before, nor did he ever set his foot in this part of the country. Spending the last few weeks in the area may have awakened an inner desire he never knew he had: he's come to learn to appreciate the view and his surroundings.

"Did Gramps give you a meeting point or something?" he asked Erza after a minute.

The knight shook her head. "No, he has not. Perhaps we should go back and wait by the gates and look out for them?" she asked as they stepped into an alley full of pubs and bars.

"It could take them hours to get here, if they ain't here already." said Natsu. "I could try to sniff someone out, but..."

"...The crowd. I've expected as much." Erza finished the sentence for him. "Looks like we'll have to be patient and hope we find them on our way."

"I think we won't have to wait for long." smirked Natsu, much to Erza's confusion. He then pointed out with his hand and upon following it, Erza felt her face light up.

On the other side of the alley stood Lucy, Wendy, Cana, and Carla, with the blonde already waving her hands at her teammates. Her screaming was deafened by the crowd, but she could still make out a word here and there.

With a wide smile on her face, Erza crossed the alley with Natsu by her side and raised her arms, hugging Lucy just a second later.

"I'm so glad to see you!" Lucy squeaked into the redhead's ear.

"So am I." said Erza and let go of Lucy to measure her up.

Not just her, all three girls looked significantly stronger and more mature, despite the short time span. Their attires didn't change much, maybe with the exception of Cana, who was wearing more layers than usual.

"I'm glad nothing bad happened during these past three months." said Erza and walked up to hug Cana.

"Well, we behaved for once." snorted Cana and let Erza go. "Seeing how Lucy walked in with her mark in full view and the guards didn't do anything, I think we're good to go."

"Did you guys have a spot you used to spend the time in?"

"No, we kept moving around Magnolia. The furthest we've gone out was to visit Lucy's old man's guild, but they couldn't help us much. He hasn't been there in years. What about you?"

"We moved as well, although deeper into the country."

As the girls talked, Natsu smirked at the sight of the greetings and shifted his eyes to Wendy, before whistling gently.

"I see you did some training of your own." he said to her.

The girl beamed and nodded. "Yup! We all did!"

Erza smiled and pulled Wendy in for a sisterly hug. "I have no doubt of that." she said and tousled her hair. "I barely recognized you all."

"Compared to you guys we're probably still like kids, but it's not like we did nothing for all this time." said nervously Lucy and scratched the back of her head. "Speaking of which..." she added and leaned in toward Erza and covered her mouth with her hand. "What about you? Did you leave him in your dust already?"

Erza chuckled, both from the question and Natsu's reaction, which, although subtle for everyone, was quite obvious to her.

"Truthfully? I think it only widened even more." she replied with a genuine smile.

Lucy's hand dropped slowly. "You're joking..." she whispered, shocked.

Erza laughed at her reaction. One could suspect her of sucking up to her man, but that was not the case at all. Even though she could tell she had grown significantly these past few weeks, her growth was rather small in comparison to his. Which made her feel both pride and pity.

Pity for whoever stood in their way next week.

"As much as I'd love to just stay here and chat, I think we've still got over half a guild to find." said Cana and adjusted the bag on her shoulder. "This street is annoying."

"I agree." said Erza and walked up to Natsu's side again. "Let's try getting to the center, perhaps we will find a suitable waiting spot.

Lucy threw Cana and Wendy a short look, a cheeky smile on her face, as she threw her backpack over her back once again and started to walk behind the pair.

As they walked, they tried catching up best to their ability, the noise making it rather difficult to do. From what Erza could gather, Lucy's group did not wander off too far from Magnolia, which, although she scolded them for, she understood. They mostly camped on woods and trained in difficult terrains, with mostly Wendy in mind, who, as agreed by Lucy and Cana, had the most potential out of the three of them. Still, that didn't mean the older girls didn't do any training of their own.

"You can what?" asked Erza with wide eyes.

Lucy laughed awkwardly and scratched her chin. "As I said, it's not stable...but I can summon up to two spirits at a time without falling on my face a second later. I think it's because I have more magic power now. It's not a big deal, but at least it's something."

"I think being able to summon and sustain two spirits at a time is nothing short of amazing." Erza praised Lucy, much to her embarrassment.

"If anything, it's because you have more magic power and a stronger body." threw in Cana. "That's why I made us all do those damn pushups. Mostly for Wendy, but I had you in my mind, too."

Lucy looked at her. "I am so sorry for snapping at you all those times." she said with a broken voice.

"It's fine, though, I'm still going to make you pay me back one day. My boobs have gotten smaller because of all those times I tagged along with you."

As Lucy was apologizing to Cana, Wendy ran up to Natsu.

"So, how was it? Did you come up with anything?" he asked her.

"I did!" she nodded. "But I can't use it too often, it eats a lot of magic."

"Yeah, that's how they work. They are your secret weapon, after all."

"What are you two talking about?" asked curiously Erza.

They both grinned at her. "Secret!" they said, much to her annoyance.

Carla sighed. "I knew that fixation came from somewhere..." she said whilst giving Natsu a judging look. "She almost died once because of it."

"Yeah, that's what it takes sometimes." he said nonchalantly, almost as if if was the most normal thing in the world.

The tabby simply massaged the bridge of her nose and dropped the subject.

Twenty minutes later the group found themselves in the park located at the center of the city. It was full of trees and other kinds of wildlife, many pavements and routes leading towards the center, where a giant fountain was placed.

"Okay, let's get a look around." said Erza and adjusted her backpack. "If we can't spot anyone, we should find a suitable spot to wait for a little while. I suggest we-"

"I don't think we'll have to look for long." said Cana with a smile and pointed with her hand.

Erza followed it and felt her lips curve by themselves. Just fifty meters away from them, by the biggest bench in the park stood a group of faces she would have recognized anywhere.

Juvia and Lisanna were standing up front, waving at them while shouting something they couldn't quite pick up, Gray, Gajeel and Levy standing not too far from them, smirking. The other Strauss siblings were sitting on the bench, both of them giving Erza's group a head tilt with smiles, Elfman's body looking a bit larger than it used to.

Lucy and Wendy ran up to Juvia and Lisanna, all four of them hugging a moment later. Erza, Cana, and Natsu followed shortly with a light stroll.

Mira stood up from her seat and together with Gray walked up to the trio.

"Took you long enough." said Mira to Erza.

"I know, I have no excuse for that." she replied with a smile and raised her arms to embrace the Demon, who returned the hug.

Gray walked up to Natsu, who raised his hand first.

"Looks like you didn't get caught again." said the Maker and smacked his hand into Natsu's.

"Barely avoided it." said Natsu. "Wasn't my fault, though."

Gray laughed and shook his head. Mira, who was done greeting Erza walked up to the boys and leaned towards Gray.

"You lost." she said with a smirk and walked away, leaving sighing Gray behind.

Having noticed Natsu's confused look, Gray shrugged. "We bet on whether you'd be jailed again or not. I lost."

Natsu scoffed. "Of course you'd bet against me."

"So did I." said Gajeel, who walked up to the guys and put his now empty wallet back into his pants. "I was sure you'd be the one to screw things up for us."

"A pot calling the kettle black..." scoffed Natsu, much to Gajeel's confusion.

Gray blinked slowly. "Did you just get a saying right?"

Natsu sighed. "Try spending three months alone with her, you'd be amazed at the things she could knock into your head."

"Believe me, I know it all too well. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I bet that both of you would get jailed, because I knew, that if you got put in the gutter Erza would follow you."

"Yeah, it almost did happen, except in reverse."

"Bullshit."

"The fuck did you call me, Salamander?"

As the boys bickered, Erza moved on to greet the others. On the bench, with the exception of Elfman, sat the entirety of Thunder Legion, with Laxus sitting right next to Makarov.

The elder was now dosing a full grown beard, as opposed to his usual mustache, a cane in his hands, his prosthetic leg hanging freely from the bench next to his healthy leg.

"Master." Erza bowed to the elder with a smile. "I am glad to see you're doing well. Would it be safe to assume your meeting went well?"

Makarov snorted. "Well, seeing how none of us is in chains, I'd say you could count it as such." he said. "We've pretty much lived in the Council for a month because all of the paperwork."

Erza felt cold sweat run down her face. "A month?"

"He's exaggerating." said Evergreen and adjusted her glasses. "We've been with him this entire time and dealt with some of the paperwork. They've been dragging us to meetings for a month, each of them giving more papers to go through, so it felt like we lived there for so long."

"Regardless of how unpleasant it was, this was a very good training for Laxus as a successor." added Freed. "He's done his job magnificently and supported Master best to his ability."

"I'm not succeeding shit." threw in Laxus. "I don't want to ever see that place again."

"That's what I've been saying for over forty years." chuckled Makarov. "Still, as unpleasant as it was, it felt good to see their faces when they saw me after so long. I barely held my laughter in."

"Tell me about it." smiled Laxus.

Erza chuckled into her hand. "I see your health has improved, Master. Have you managed to find Porlyusica?"

The question quickly knocked Makarov's mood down, a concerned frown replacing his smile in an instant. "No, we have not. I got this thing thanks to Jura, who scheduled an appointment in Margaret Town. We did find her home, but nothing more."

"I didn't find anything suspicious, either." said Laxus. "The place looks like a bomb went off but no signs of fighting, or resistance. She must have been taken outside and then someone went through her stuff."

"Yes, that's what Gajeel told us when he went there." said Erza and frowned. One could not exclude the possibility, that the old woman has simply moved out, but would she really leave all of her belongings behind? With everything else happening around them Raven Tail was the main suspect in this situation, however they had absolutely no proof to back it off. Besides their guts, that is.

As Fairy Tail talked and bickered, a rather big crowd of people was starting to form nearby, their eyes glued to the mages.

Lucy blinked and turned her head to the side, no longer listening to Mirajane's story of how she bested a group of bandits in the mountains. The crowd was glaring daggers at them and whispered amongst each other, which made the blonde feel uncomfortable, to put it lightly.

"Guys..." began gently the blonde and pulled on Mira's sleeve. "Guys!"

"What?" snapped Mira, upset her story was interrupted.

"I think we might be attracting too much attention." said quietly Lucy and pointed at the crowd.

Soon the whole guild was staring back at the now even bigger crowd, awkward silence falling at the park.

"Is there a problem?" asked them Gray in a raised tone.

"Depends." said a tall, chubby man in a red shirt.

"Depends on what?" scoffed Mira.

"Depends on whatever it is you lot are plotting." said the man.

Mira's eye twitched. "What?"

All of a sudden a loud yelp spread across the park, as a child, not much older than Wendy, threw a rock at the girl's head, catching her off guard. The girl clutched the back of her head with a pained grimace as the kid ran away.

Almost on instinct, Natsu, Gray, and Laxus all walked up front, their eyes piercing the entire crowd to the core.

"If you have nothing to say to us I suggest you leave," said Laxus with a low growl. "We are not looking for trouble, so take our example and do the same."

The chubby man spat aside, not intimidated. "And let you continue plot in our park? No, sir."

An old, crooked lady with a cane pointed her finger at the guild. "I bet they are planning on destroying this town! I've heard stories! That kid with a scarf, he burned villages for sport!"

"That girl with white hair, she's a witch!" added another woman, her infant child in her arms.

"Guards, someone get the guards!" called someone else.

The crowd was now yelling and accusing Fairy Tail, confident and loud. The guild could simply stand there and watch more and more people turn their attention towards the scene, which only made things worse.

"This is getting bad." said nervously Cana. "We should leave."

"You heard her, they want to run away!" bellowed a middle aged woman with an undercut. "Guards! Call the guards, quick!"

"This is getting annoying." snarled Gajeel.

All of a sudden, a loud sound of a cane striking the pavement down echoed across the place, silencing both groups.

Makarov stepped out of the group up front and straightened his back, now addressing the distraught people.

"We wish you no harm, dear citizens." he said softly. "We have gathered here after a long absence. Please, do not let our little meeting ruin your day. We will be on our way in a second. After we talk to the guards, that is." he added, seeing how some of the people were already opening their mouths to protest.

The chubby man scoffed. "Criminals." he threw in goodbye and left the scene, majority of the crowd following him in suit.

Fairy Tail's mood was now ruined, to put it lightly, frustrated glares piercing into the pavement.

"This is how things are now." Laxus said to the guild. "No use crying about it. We just have to get used to it and do our best to change it. Getting pissy with the people won't change anything."

"I'm surprised you're taking it so well." said Mira. "You've always been the one to bash those who shittalk the guild."

Laxus sighed. "You could say I've gotten used to being smeared in shit these past three months. It's not worth making things worse for a split second of satisfaction."

Five minutes later the guards have arrived. After being filled in on what just occurred and checking their records, they gave them a fair warning based on their current situation and let Fairy Tail leave the area and head to their designated inn.

The way to the inn was a quiet and long one, for the building was way away from the center of the town. After fifteen minutes of walking, Fairy Tail arrived by the door to their inn – The Sleeping Boar.

"Kinda cozy, eh?" Gajeel poked Levy with his elbow.

"This is the best we could do. Don't complain." said Evergreen.

The group entered the building and sat down at the chairs in the lobby.

"I think it'd be a good idea to go through the rules of the tournament while we wait for the innkeeper to divide the rooms." said Makarov and pulled out a sheet of papers. "This is pretty much all the most important data we are going to need." he waved the paper around. "The rest is just being a decent, non-murderous member of society. I had to read through 800 pages for this shi-"

"Master." scolded him Lisanna.

"Right." Makarov cleared his throat and looked at the papers. "Each participating guild has to present a team consisting of five members. The teams will battle other participating guilds in the tournament."

"Five, huh?" wondered Cana out loud. "That means everyone is going to put out their best shots from the get-go."

"Not exactly." corrected her Makarov. "Each guild has the right to change up to two members of their team per day. The tournament is set to determine the strongest guild in Fiore, not the best five members of a guild. I highly doubt other guilds will use their strongest five from day one."

"Hold on a second." threw in Mira. "You mean guilds can just change members each day and put out a different lineup?"

"Precisely."

"That's bullshit."

"No, it makes sense." said Laxus. "In any competition it is normal to start out slow at the beginning, to measure the opponent up. By letting guilds change their teams however they want, they are trying to make it a mind game as well."

"Laxus is right." said Erza. "Knowing when to use which member will be crucial."

"If you put it in this perspective, then yes, it makes perfect sense." stated Makarov. "But there is more to it than that. The Games consist of five days full of events. Each day will have a different competition, followed by one-on-one battles between guilds. Both the competitions and battles will be announced in a ten minute advance."

"Which means we'll be going in blind." sighed Gray. "Of course."

"Can we change members during game day?" asked Erza.

"No. The changes must be done after the day has been completed." Makarov shook his head. "However, that doesn't change a thing. We can not prove ourselves by acting on planning alone. We must be versatile and prove, that we can prevail even against the odds. We will make use of these rules and do what is expected of us – start out slow, but still strong."

"You've got the members in mind, old man?" asked Laxus.

"Yes, I do."

Makarov cleared his throat and looked at his kids. Everyone was tense and anxious – all of them wanted to prove themselves.

"I have decided on three core members, who will keep our level high but still not reach the peak of our capabilities." said the elder. "Natsu, Gray, Erza! You will be the lead members of our team!"

Gray smirked at scoffing Gajeel and Mira, who gave him a nasty eye. While they couldn't exactly argue with the other two, they knew, that Gray was the one person, who could have been easily replaced.

At least in their opinion.

"I will not bring the guild shame, Master." smiled Erza.

"Of course it's them..." sighed Elfman. "What did I even train for..."

"No one said your chances are gone." sighed Lisanna next to him.

Natsu groaned under his nose. "Do I really have to be out there the entire time?"

Erza frowned at him. "We've talked about this already. I know you hate being seen but this is bigger than that."

"Right, right."

"Makes sense." nodded Laxus. "You got an idea for the remaining two?"

"Yes, I have." said Makarov. "Lucy and Wendy – you will be completing the team."

"I feel kind of small, to be honest..." sighed Lucy. "Knowing I'm just filling a spot..."

"It just means we have to prove them, that we are more than that." smiled Wendy.

Lucy blinked in surprise, but smiled back. "Yup!"

"I don't want you to take it the wrong way, but Raven will probably start out at full strength." said Mira, her hands crossed on her chest. "Wouldn't it be safer to do the same?"

"I'm saving you and Laxus for a reason, Mira." said Makarov. "I know they will try to crush us from the get go, however, they will be in for a surprise. I know you all trained hard for this. The time to show how much you've matured has come."

Determined nods and grunts filled the room, which pleased Makarov. He cleared his throat and looked back to his papers.

"Outside of that, there isn't anything worth mentioning. The one rule we have to follow even today, is that all selected team members are to be in their designated rooms at latest by 12:00AM tonight. Even a second late will disqualify any member, who has yet to be in their room."

"It's 10 AM right now." said Freed. "We still have over half a day left."

"I think we can go out and explore a bit before bedtime." said Lucy. "People aside, the city is really pretty!"

"Good idea." nodded Freed. "Let's check in to the rooms and enjoy the day."

"Before you spread out." said Makarov and jumped down from his chair. "Let me just say, that this is not just for personal grudges. We have to prove to people, that they can still count on us, as they used to in the past. Do not waste this chance and give it your best. Make Fairy Tail proud, brats!"

The guild roared in approval, much to the horror of the poor inkeeper, who was already fed up with the bunch.

An hour and a big breakfast later, everyone was set in their rooms. Due to representing the guild in the Games, Team Erza got a hold of a five bed room, the biggest the inn had to offer.

After unpacking their stuff and getting comfortable with the room, Lucy stretched her arms out and sighed in relief.

"Okay, I'm going to hit the city now!" she announced and put her purse over her shoulder. "Is there anything you guys need?"

"Nope." said Gray and put his shirt back on after losing it in the lobby. "I'm going out myself."

"Me too." said Wendy, Carla hovering next to her. "We're going to see the gardens by the palace!"

"Cana is going with us, too." added the Exceed.

"I see." said Lucy. She then looked at Erza. "What about you?"

"I'm not going out anywhere, I've seen my share of the city by now." said the redhead. "But you'll be bringing him with you." she said and dragged Natsu by the arm to stand next to Lucy, much to his confusion.

"But why?" he asked her, confused.

"It's not safe out there for us. We don't know how people will react after seeing our mark, you saw what happened at the park today." she told him. "You'll go with Lucy, in case anything dangerous happens."

Natsu sighed. "Fine." he said and threw his bag aside. "I'm getting hungry anyway."

"Already?" sweatdropped Lucy.

Erza smiled and leaned in, kissing him on the lips shortly after, much to everyone's shock. Upon realising what she just did, Erza broke the kiss and cleared her throat, red on her cheeks.

"T-take care." she choked out and walked over to her bed.

Lucy and Wendy smiled at her in happiness, while Gray simply shook his head and exited the room.

As said, the group split up by the entrance to the inn and walked away, each for themselves. Gray, much to everyone's shock, invited Juvia to come along with him, which, surprisingly, did not make the girl freak out. Quite the contrary, she gracefully accepted the invitation with a big smile on her face.

After dropping by a small restaurant for lunch, for which Lucy, much to her shock, did not have to pay for due to Natsu having his own stash of cash, the pair started to mindlessly wander around, Lucy leading the expedition based on shop displays and store brands.

"No, seriously, what the hell was that in the restaurant?" she asked once again three hours later. For some reason, Natsu refused to answer the question and dodged it for as long as he could.

The sun was slowly starting to set, the sky changing into very gently shade of orange.

Natsu sighed. "Fine." he moaned. "Before I joined the guild I didn't really have much use for the cash I was getting for my jobs, so I've been putting it away. After we came back from the island I simply took Erza there and we took it all with us. That was it."

"Putting it away?" asked the blonde. "As in, in a bank?"

"No. I'd just throw it into a hole I dug up and covered it with dirt."

Lucy massaged the bridge of her nose. "Of course..."

"But most of it is gone now. Turns out Erza's bank account was shut down due to inactivity, so she lost her funds. We used it to pay for her armors and stuff."

"I see." said Lucy. "Speaking of Erza..." she began gently. "How long have you guys…?"

"Since the day we left." said Natsu.

"I see."

Dropping the subject, the pair continued to walk mindlessly around the city for an hour longer.

"I'm getting kinda tired." moaned Lucy and massaged her shoulder. "Should we go back?"

"Yes." said shortly Natsu and adjusted the bags he was carrying, completely fed up with the day.

Suddenly, they heard a muffled scream of a crowd from an alley right around the corner. Curious, the pair decided to check it.

A crowd of around thirty people was gathered in a circle around two individuals, who stood proudly over a group of men lying on the ground, unconscious and beaten up.

"You sure are weak for someone with a mouth this big." taunted one of the standing men, his blonde hair flowing gently in the wind. "Maybe you should change it up a little, eh?"

"Stop it, Sting." said his companion. "A winner has nothing to say to the loser."

"I agree with Sting." said a small, redfurred Exceed in a shirt and a tie. "This is what you get for messing with the best guild, indeed!"

"Fro thinks so, too!" threw in another Exceed, clad in a frog suit.

"The hell?" frowned Natsu.

"Probably a brawl between guilds." wondered Lucy.

"Man, Sabertooth sure is strong." sighed a man from the crowd, much to Lucy's attention.

"I'm sorry, did you just say Sabertooth?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?"

"No, nothing, sorry."

"Never heard of them." said Natsu.

Before Lucy could tell him just who the guild was, a few people turned to Natsu in mild shock.

"You've never heard of the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth?" asked him a young girl. "Sting and Rogue?"

"Nope."

As the crowd started to gather around Natsu, Sting looked in its direction, curious of what the commotion was about.

"What, do we still have someone who wants a piece of us?" he laughed cockily.

A man from the crowd turned to the Dragon Slayer. "No, not us! They do!" he said and stepped aside along with the others.

Lucy and Natsu were now in perfect view, much to the girl's horror. She simply hid behind Natsu, hoping nothing bad happens.

Sting and Rogue's eyes went wide at the sight of the pink haired Dragon Slayer. "It's you..." he whispered. "It's you, isn't it? Natsu Dragneel?"

Natsu frowned. "What if it is?"

"Natsu..." Lucy pulled on his sleeve. She knew how devastating he could be if he lost his temper.

Sting grinned. "So, the rumors are true. You guys really did come back, huh."

"Do not get too friendly, Sting." said Rogue. "These people are not worthy of our time."

"Don't be a dick, Rogue." laughed Sting. "Buuut...you do have a point." he said and slowly walked towards Natsu.

Both men stared each other down, pressure making the air thick and heavy.

"I have to say I am rather embarrassed of sharing the same magic as you do." said Sting with a cocky grin, much to Natsu's surprise.

"You are a Dragon Slayer?" he asked.

"Yeah. We both are." he pointed at Rogue with his thumb. "True Dragon Slayers, that is. Ones, that would not get their ass beat by a dragon...like you did."

Natsu scowled. "What did you just say?"

"Is your hearing inferior as well?" asked him Rogue from behind. "That wouldn't surprise me, you are just a mere First Generation after all."

"First Generation?" asked Lucy with a frown.

"Allow me to explain." said the red Exceed and stepped between the two groups.

"Where the hell did you come from?" asked Lucy.

Ignoring her, the cat cleared his throat. "Natsu is, what we call, a First Generation Dragon Slayer. Trained and raised by a dragon. Then, we have Second Generation, who have not been raised by a dragon and obtained their magic through a lacrima implant. Third Generation, Sting and Rogue, have been raised by dragons and had lacrimas implanted in their bodies." he said.

"Well explained, Lector." said Sting.

"So, in other words..." began Natsu and trailed his eyes from the Exceed to Sting. "You were simply too weak to learn magic by yourself. Did I miss anything?"

"How dare you-" began outraged Lector, only to be stopped by Sting.

"Lector, don't." he said. "It's okay. It's not like words from a failed, outdated Dragon Slayer, too weak to beat a dragon could hold any weight."

Natsu's fist clenched dangerously, dark memories coming back up to the surface of his mind. "I think it'd be for the best if you walked away." he snarled.

"To think I used to look up to you..." Sting shook his head, having ignored Natsu's warning. "I'm embarrassed of my past self. If you couldn't do the deed yourself, you should have called us. We have some experience in killing dragons. Acnologia would have stood no chance against the two of us, even as kids. It's seriously pathetic, that a guild with four Dragon Slayer could get their ass beat so-"

A loud slap pierced the air like a whip, as Lucy smacked her hand across Sting's face, much to his shock.

With pure fury written on her face, Lucy grit her teeth and retracted her hand back to her side.

"Do not speak of that day as if you were there." she said with a dangerous growl in her voice. "You have no idea what happened that day! You have no right to-"

"That's enough." said Natsu and put his hand on her shoulder. He then turned to still surprised Sting and scowled. "You wouldn't last even a second against that dragon. He'd snap you in half and shit you out the next day, only to forget you even existed. You said you looked up to me, didn't you? That was the moment I stopped treating you seriously. You are a fool if you seriously thought of me as any form of an example."

"That's what I've been telling him for years. Looking up to someone inferior to him was just foolish." said Rogue.

Natsu simply looked at him and turned around, ignoring his comment. "Let's go back to the inn." he told Lucy and picked up the bags he dropped earlier.

Sting scowled and clicked his tongue. "I will prove just how stronger than you I am. Just watch." he told Natsu.

The man froze for a split second, but did not take the bait. He simply walked away, with Lucy trailing behind him.

"Just wait for the Games." he said in farewell and disappeared behind the corner.

Sting grit his teeth. "Damn it!" he cursed and kicked one of the unconscious men to vent.

"Don't let him get to you, Sting." said Rogue. "Don't waste your time."

"I know! I know..." sighed the blonde and sat down on one of the unconscious men. "I still got what I wanted. That's all that matters."

Rogue sighed. "I still think this idea is stupid and meaningless."

"I don't care."

With that said, Sting and Rogue left the scene, their Exceeds following behind.

Natsu and Lucy returned to their inn in foul moods, their journey back spent in silence. Everyone else was already back in the room.

Having realised something was off, Erza, who was already clad in her pyjamas, made the two spill the beans. After hearing the story, the knight sighed tiredly.

"I guess we should have expected this." she said. "It's a competition. Guilds will antagonize other guilds to get on their nerves."

"I thought so, too." said Lucy. "But when he started to taunt the whole guild...I just lost it. I slapped him."

Gray whistled. "Didn't expect that one."

"Neither did I." frowned Erza in a motherly fashion. "I understand your feelings, Lucy, but we are still in a bad spot. That could have easily backfired."

"I know." said the blonde. "But I'm not sorry I did it."

Gray laughed out loud and slapped his knee. Erza simply sighed and massaged her forehead.

"Seeing how these two beat up a whole group of people, I highly doubt Lucy would get in any trouble for slapping one of them." pointed out Carla. "You're overreacting." she told Erza.

The redhead sighed through her nose. "I might be. I apologize."

With that out of the way, the team dropped the subject and didn't bring it up at all during the evening. Lucy showed Erza and Wendy stuff she bought while out and soon after Cana and Strauss siblings dropped by with drinks and snacks, bored out of their mind.

A few hours of talking and bickering later, the clock struck midnight.

"Well, here we are." said Gray and straightened himself up in his chair. "Midnight. I wonder whether that was just a random ass rule to keep people off the streets during the night, or if it's really important-"

Almost as if it heard him, the entire area started to shake violently, to the point where Cana fell off her chair. A loud noise could be heard from their balcony and upon opening the door, Erza felt her jaw drop to the floor.

A path was now starting to form from their balcony, a path with a gate built in at the beginning, that led to something that resembled a giant ball of rubble and debris floating above the city. Pieces of rooftops and pavements were being ripped out of their place, only to fly up and take a new spot in the bizarre creation, that was now towering over the city.

"What the fuck is this?" asked Mirajane with a confused frown. "Did you guys hear about it?" she asked Erza.

"Not a word." replied truthfully the knight.

Suddenly, a giant pumpkin with eyes appeared in the middle of the ball, projected from the Royal Palace of Crocus.

"Greeting and welcome, guilds of Fiore!" it said in a goofy, male voice. "Welcome to 8th annual Grand Magic Games! I hope you've all prepared hard!"

"What the hell is going on?" asked Lucy under her breath.

"Look!" Gray pointed somewhere. "It's not just us! The inn next doors has a path like that, too!"

"Not just them." said Elfman. "Pretty much every inn in the area has one!"

"Does this mean each guild has their own path?" asked Wendy.

"Due to the outstanding number of 180 applications, we have decided to cut it down to 8!" said the pumpkin, much to everyone's shock.

"8 out of 180?!" asked shocked Gray. "How in the hell are they gonna-"

"Thus, the preliminary round of Grand Magic Games will start...now!"

Suddenly, the door to the path opened.

"Oh. That's how."

"Your task is simple!" the pumpkin echoed across the city. "Find one of the eight doors hidden within the Sky Labyrinth! The first eight guilds to enter through the door advance to the Games! You are allowed to fight anyone you meet in the Labyrinth, but be careful! If you fall, you will be disqualified! If a guild loses more than two members, they are disqualified! Oh, I forgot to mention – the Labyrinth will change its shape every few minutes, so make sure to be safe when that happens! Good luck to you all!"

"Not even giving us a chance to prepare..." sighed Gray and took his shirt off.

Erza Requipped out of her pyjamas, now back in her Heart Kreuz Armor. "There is no time to waste! We have been preparing for this moment for months! Let's go out there and prove just who Fairy Tail really is!"

"Yeah!" screamed her team and switched to battle mode, their eyes now focused and determined, as they ran up the path behind the redhead.

Their battle has already begun.

 **End of Chapter 36. To be continued in Chapter 37: Day One: Ghosts Of The Past**


	38. Day One: Ghosts Of The Past

**This Chapter has been cut in two due to its length.**

 **It would have been over 18,000 words long and, even though I dropped 15k's on you guys before, I don't really want to do that too often.**

 **That is why I will be uploading this Chapter and follow it with the other half shortly afterwards. Expect it within next 2-3 days.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **November 22nd, Crocus, Domus Flau**

Gray sighed exasperatedly and slid his fingers on his eyebrows, genuinely annoyed, the dull atmosphere surrounding him bringing out the worst sensation of boredom and irritation.

Him and his team were currently in their designated waiting room, where they were told to await until called upon.

The preliminary round of Grand Magic Games proved to be annoying, even to people with iron patience like Erza. After almost falling off multiple times, ending up in a dead end for a tenth time, going through the trouble of fighting other guilds only to receive worthless pieces of a map, and Lucy's out of the box thinking, they have finally managed to find an exit. Much to their dismay and, truth to be told, disappointment, they were 8th to find their way out, becoming the final participant in the Games.

After a rough night full of challenges they were sent back to their room, where they crashed in their beds and slept through most of the day. After eating and showering, they were escorted to the arena and ordered to wait.

It has been three hours since they arrived.

"Wanna bet that they've just forgotten about us and the Games have started already?" Gray asked Lucy.

"Impossible, we would have heard it." she said, not catching his sarcasm. "Official events almost never start on schedule."

"I know, I'm messing around." he sighed and pulled down his collar, annoyed. "Why the hell do we even have to wear these?!"

Gray, as well as the rest of his friends, was wearing an official outfit representing Fairy Tail, courtesy of Makarov. Each member's design varied from another, but the base was the same – dark blue and white, well fitted and light clothes, that granted them maximum agility, while properly representing the guild with the guildmark in plain sight..

"Stop complaining, Gray." scolded him Erza.

Her outfit consisted of a sleeveless coat with a high collar, that split to her sides just above her bellybutton, showing off her black leggings and tall, dark blue boots. Her arms were dosed with grey gauntlets that reached up to her elbows, fitted over dark blue gloves that reached to her bicep. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with a dark colored ribbon.

"Master Makarov chose these outfits for us. It is a great honor to wear them."

Gray's eyebrow twitched. His outfit was, much to his horror, very uncomfortable. Makarov obtained their measurements three months prior, and while it was not a bad thing, even if weird at the time, Gray has managed to put on some muscle mass during his training, which in result made his uniform too tight in various places, especially the neck area.

He was wearing a coat over a white shirt with a golden zipper, black pants and black boots that reached up to his knee. The shirt was so tight on his it could pop at any minute, and the coat's collar was suffocating him, making it impossible to relax.

"You'd wear a bunny suit if he'd just asked you." he threw back in remark, irritated.

Erza crossed her arms over her chest. "No, he wouldn't, not after the last time." she replied calmly, almost as if she was describing the weather.

"What do you mean 'the last time'?" asked her Wendy.

Erza looked at the girl for a second and then turned to Natsu. "What about you, any problems with your outfit?" she asked him, ignoring the girl on purpose, much to her confusion, who simply received a pat on the shoulder from defeated Lucy.

Natsu, whose outfit was not that much different from Grays, his lack of coat being the only different, shrugged. "No, not really. Just different colors."

Erza smiled. "I know how much you hate new things, so I have asked Master Makarov to not do any drastic changes for you."

"Wait, you knew about these?" asked her Lucy. She was wearing a well fitted, long sleeved dark blue blouse and a knee-high skirt, with a white scarf tied around her waist, her keys strapped to her right hip.

"Yes, I have been informed before we left." nodded the knight.

Gray cursed under his nose and plopped back on his chair.

"I have to say, I don't remember being measured..." wondered Lucy out loud with a frown.

"Oh, I did it when you were sleeping." said nonchalantly Erza. "Same with Wendy."

Lucy blinked slowly. "I am both relieved and slightly scared at the same time." she said with a nervous chuckle. "Is there anything else you did to me when I was sleeping?" she asked jokingly.

Erza frowned. "Of course not, who do you take me for?"

Natsu blinked. "Don't you have that book where two girls are sleeping together and one of them starts to touch the other while she's sleeping?" he asked with childish innocence.

Lucy instinctively pulled her arms up to cover herself, no longer in the mood for jokes. Erza's face changed color to one matching the shade of her hair within a second.

"I-I know nothing about anything of this sort!" she screeched defensively to the distraught blonde and then turned to her boyfriend. "Why would I even possess something this inappropriate?"

Natsu blinked again, confused. "But I've seen you read it before bed-"

His explanation was stopped due to being forced to block an incoming kick that might have decapitated him. Utterly lost, he looked at the knight from behind his guard.

"When the hell did you get so good at reading?!" she asked, utterly émbarrassed.

"What do you mean, you were the one who taught me!" he replied truthfully, utterly lost by her reaction.

"You struggled with a children's book but you managed to understand that one?!"

"You forced me to read a textbook, how am I supposed to know what physics are?!"

As the two continued to argue and fight at the same time, Lucy simply watched.

"Looks like these two have a lot of energy to spare." smiled nervously Wendy, as the two continued to brawl and argue.

"Wow, she's not even denying it at this point." deadpanned Lucy.

Wendy looked at her. "Denying what?" she asked.

Lucy sighed and looked at the little Dragon Slayer. "Levy told me Erza liked to read books specifically targeted at adults. I thought it was a rumor...until now."

Wendy blushed. "O-oh..."

"Yup. Definitely puts her in a different light, if you ask me."

"Look what you made Lucy think of me!" screamed Erza and tried to punch Natsu.

"Maybe you should stop reading porn then, that should fix it!" he roared back and pushed her fist away from him.

Gray leaned forward in his chair with a wide grin on his face. "Finally, something interesting." he said, as the couple connected their fists in an attempt to strike one another.

"Shouldn't you be stopping them?" frowned dangerously Lucy.

"Hell no. After so many years I can finally watch someone put Erza in her place when she starts going berserk. This is textbook entertainment."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "I'd say incompetence is a more fitting word here." she said in a tone so cold that even Gray could not prevent his shivers.

Lucy relaxed her face. "Why don't we just take it easy for now?" she asked and fearlessly approached the two. "We could be called out any minute now."

Erza's scowl relaxed as she retracted her fist. "Y-yes, you're right. I got carried away." she cleared her throat and readjusted her clothes, Natsu doing the same while muttering something under his nose.

Just how Lucy predicted, ten minutes later someone has finally arrived to pick them up and lead them to the arena. As the group walked down the empty corridors, the crowd was getting louder with each step.

"I'm really nervous..." said Wendy and swallowed hard.

"I have to say, me too." said Lucy and clenched her fists gently.

"There's got to be thousands of people out there." pointed out Gray.

They continued to walk until they were ordered to stay put in front of a massive iron door.

"The door shall open when your guild is called out." said the soldier, who escorted them. "Best of luck." he threw in farewell and left them.

"Well..." began Gray as he trailed the guard with his eyes until he vanished behind the corner "I guess we should get into the mood-"

"Greeting and welcome to the 7th annual Grand Magic Games!" roared an excited and cheerful voice from behind the door, completely silencing Gray. "We apologize for the delays but the Games are now officially on the move! I am your one and only Chapati Lola, speaking to you directly from my trusty booth!"

"Now that's what you call a host." nodded Erza to herself with a small smile.

"Today, as well as for the rest of the Games, I will be honored to share it with the former high ranked member of the Council, Sage Yajima! It is a great honor to have you here on this wonderful day!"

"Wait, former?" questioned Lucy.

"He must have quit when we were absent." stated Gray.

"The pleasure is all mine." said Yajima with his warm, elderly voice. "I am looking forward to the events."

"And look forward to them you definitely should!" said enthusiastically Lola. "However, there is one more person sitting here with us today! Ladies and gentleman, this person doesn't need much introduction! From Blue Pegasus, Miss Jenny Realight!"

Erza could not control the snort that escaped her mouth, which somehow covered the sound of Jenny's voice. She quickly raised her hand to cover her lips, the attention of her team fully on her.

"Forgive me." she chuckled. "I have just imagined Mirajane's face and I lost it."

Gray groaned. "Yeah, this evening is going to suck."

"Of course, I could not forget the official mascot of the Games, who is also our trusty and quick referee! Please welcome Kabo!"

"That's that pumpkin guy." noticed Natsu.

"Without further ado, let us get to the real reason you're all here! The introductions!"

Music was now echoing over the arena, mixed with the crowd's roaring and Lola's attempts at trying to cast over the noise, which proved to be next to impossible.

Natsu sighed through his nose, which didn't pass unnoticed by Erza..

"Nervous?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. I just don't feel like standing in front of so many people."

The knight frowned gently. "We've talked about this. This is beyond our personal feelings. We're not doing this just for us."

"I know. It still doesn't change my mind."

Erza sighed. "Man up, it's too late to pull out now." she said.

In an attempt to clear his head, even if a little, the girl tried to playfully kick him in the butt. Much to her shock, he caught her leg and pulled it up, effectively tripping the knight, whose butt landed flat on the floor, much to Lucy's horror.

"I know." said shortly the Dragon Slayer, just when the door started to lift itself up, the light blinding them.

Before Erza could express herself, Lola's voice has completely dominated hers, now in its full glory.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for our first introduction!" he roared into his microphone "At 8th place, a major surprise! A guild forgotten by time, once known as Fiore's number 1 – please welcome, Fairy Tail!"

With Erza back on her feet, the group took a deep breath and took the first step on the arena, Gray and Lucy raising their right arms in the air.

The atmosphere in the arena changed drastically. As soon as their name dropped, cheers and whistles changed into silence, followed by immense boos and insults, much to Kabo's shock, who stood in the middle of the arena, lost and unsure what to do.

"What the hell did you come here for?!"

"Murderers! Criminals!"

"Look, it's him! The SS-rate! He's going to cause trouble, mark my word!"

The group continued to make their way to the center, not phased by their greeting.

"Gotta say, it's better than I expected." said sarcastically Gray.

"At least this time they're not accusing us of trying to burn the city down." said Lucy in a similar tone.

"They are." said Natsu and Wendy at the same time, much to the blonde's dismay.

"This doesn't change anything." said shortly Erza, as she walked at the front. "Our goal remains the same. Let this moment be your fuel, not discouragement."

"Right!"

Upon getting closer to the center, they could hear sounds different from boos and insults and upon looking to their right, their faces lit up.

Their entire guild was screaming on top of their lungs from their designated spectators balcony, Elfman and Bickslow each waving a giant flag with Fairy Tail's mark on it.

The group couldn't make much of what they were screaming, as they continued to try and outshout the rest of the crowd, like a growing plant trying to pierce its way through the pavement.

"Get them, you brats! Make us proud!" Makarov's roar was the only one they could pick out, as he used his magic to boost his voice.

"There." smiled Erza, the sight of her friends giving her a new boost of confidence. "That right there is the only support we really need."

"After seven long years of absence, can they once again become the great guild we've remembered them as?" Lola kept his professional approach and skillfully ignored the outraged crowd. "Now, for our second contestant – they are as wild and ferocious as their name! Please give your applause to our 7th place, Quatro Cerberus!"

The door lifted itself and soon five very rough looking men emerged from the darkness, the biggest of them carrying a giant flag with Cerberus' mark on it. They all roared as loud as they could, the crowd joining them in a very loud battle cry.

Erza squinted her eyes and looked at them for longer than she probably should.

"Something wrong?" asked her Lucy and curiously looked at the group as well.

"No, it's nothing." said the knight after a moment. "I thought I'd see someone, but...guess not."

"At 6th place we have the known and loved veterans of the Games! Please welcome Blue Pegasus!" announced Lola.

Blue Pegasus emerged from their designated door to the sound of women screaming on top of their lungs, many of them wearing shirts with faces of the Trimens, who waved the crowd with wide smiles on their faces. Behind them walked a figure clad in an oversized bunny suit, which was bizarre, to say the least.

"At 5th, making their first entry in the Games, the famous all women guild – Mermaid Heel!"

Five women emerged from the darkness, a young woman with dark hair and a sword in her right hand leading them towards the center. Her eyes were sharp and focused. Right behind her was a hooded figure, who, unlike her other three teammates, did not greet the crowd.

"I've never heard of a guild like that." frowned Gray.

"They were very small before we left, but I've heard of them." said Wendy. "The guild was very young in age. Even their Master was not that older than you at the time."

Gray hummed and leaned over to Erza. "Hey, that chick..." he whispered into her ear.

"Yes." nodded the knight. "She will be a problem."

The woman's eyes met Erza's for a split moment, a moment during which Erza felt a very confusing feeling of...nostalgia? It was very hard to describe.

"Something wrong?" asked her Gray.

Erza massaged her forehead. "No." she said shortly, probably rougher than she meant to. "It's nothing."

"Going into the upper half, at 4th place, a guild that needs no introducing! Lamia Scale!"

The crowd has once again gone wild, as Lyon, Jura, Yuka, Toby, and a girl heavily resembling Sherry, who tripped on her way and almost fell on her face, emerged from their exit, smiling gently and waving at the crowd.

"4th place?! When did you lot get so lazy?! It's a disgrace!" an elderly woman with grey hair tied in a bun yelled at them from the balcony, her short hand raised in the air and shaking in anger.

"I screwed up, Obaba." said the young girl and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of her head. "Sorry!"

"I am confused." admitted bluntly and loudly Gray while looking at her.

Having heared that, Lyon turned around. "Sherria is Sherry's cousin. Normally I would mock you, but even our own members confuse them at times." he explained.

"Huh."

"It pleases me to see you've all made it." said calmly Jura with a smile. "I am looking forward to the competition."

"Likewise." Erza bowed gently with a small smile.

"It brings us pleasure to see you are all well." thrown in Ichiya from the side. "Let us give our strongest perfume in these upcoming days."

"You got it." grinned Gray.

"Going into the top three, a surprise that some would even call an upset! Coming in at 3rd place, Sabertooth!" announced Lola.

Instead of the usual, excited cheering, Sabertooth's team walked out to murmurs and confusion, for the crowd has significantly quieted down, greatly thrown off.

"Wait, Saber is at 3rd?!" asked a shocked spectator.

"Did they use a weaker lineup?" suggested an elderly woman behind him.

"Maybe they slipped in the prelims!"

"Is it them?" Wendy asked Natsu and Lucy, who both nodded.

Sting and Rogue walked at the front, the former smirking confidently. His other teammates were no better, the two males walking behind looked confident, the bigger one roaring on top of his lungs to hype the crowd. Behind them trailed a young girl with short, white hair. She didn't share her team's enthusiasm.

"What's all the fuss about?" asked Gray.

"Sabertooth has always come out on 1st place, both in the prelims and main Games." explained Yuka. "To see them at 3rd must be a shock to the crowd. I'm more concerned about who managed to overthrow them. As cocky as they are, Saber doesn't play around. They always give their all."

"How many monsters are there going to be in these Games?!" yelled outraged Toby.

"Calm down."

"Well, I think we know who one of them might be." muttered Lucy to her team.

"It appears that the crowd is dissatisfied with Sabertooth's performance!" noticed Lola.

"I wouldn't call it as such. Whenever a king is dethroned, there's always a commotion." pointed out wisely Yajima. "Sabertooth themselves do not look to be concerned about the outcome."

"Well put! Perhaps we can start the fire once again by introducing our top 2! At 2nd place, we have ourselves a surprise! They have entered the Games once in the past, but their results were far from memorable. An upset? A comeback? You be the judge! Please give your applause for Raven Tail!"

"There we go." breathed out Lucy nervously and focused her eyes on one of the yet to be opened door, as have their teammates and other participants.

The heavy metal lifted itself off the ground, smoke puffing out of it, like from a dragon's mouth right before it unleashed its flames. Five figures, two of them cloaked, emerged from the smoke and, much to Fairy Tail's horror, they did not resemble the faces that have been engraved in their memories 3 months prior. No, far from that. They were faces, that brought out far more memories, memories that sometimes haunted them in their sleep.

Natsu's fists clenched themselves on their own, as he took a few heavy steps away from his group, subconsciously walking towards the newcomers. Erza managed to grab him by the shoulder, and, although he stopped walking, he angrily knocked her hand off. Wendy gasped and put her hands over her mouth, staring blindly ahead.

Gray, whose reaction was not that different, stared at the five people approaching them, disgust and anger written all over his face.

"What the fuck is this supposed to be?" he snarled under his nose.

It wasn't just him. A commotion started up in Fairy Tail's balcony, as Elfman forcefully pushed his way through to the railing and gripped it so hard it cracked in several spots. Laxus, who was standing right next to him, frowned in confusion and lowered his arms, which were previously crossed over his chest.

"What in hell is he doing here?!" he growled, his sister giving him a confused look. A few feet behind him Evergreen gripped her shoulder so hard her knuckles went white, a single drop of sweat flowing down her face.

Down in the arena, Natsu continued to glare daggers at the newcomers. One of them, a young man with messy, blonde hair that reached to his shoulders, a white, sleeveless vest and blue, baggy pants grinned mockingly at the Dragon Slayer.

"Yo, Dragon Hunter." said Zancrow. "It's been a while."

The former member of Grimoire Heart was now standing right in front of Fairy Tail, Raven Tail's mark shining in the sunlight on his right shoulder, as he stared Natsu down with pure confidence and cockiness.

Natsu and Gray, who has just caught up with his friend, have both taken a step forward, only to be grabbed by the girls, who struggled to keep them back in the line.

Right beside Zancrow stood Rustyrose, whom the boys have not met before, at least not officially. His hair was much messier, no longer kept in a stylish pompadour, the faint signs of a beard dosing his face, his eyes, tired and sunken, still protected by the glasses he's been wearing for years.

The person who managed to get Gray fired up was Erigor, who stood just behind the two, his scythe leaning on his shoulder, as the blade beamed menacingly in the sunlight. Although his eyes did spot Gray, he made nothing of the Maker, shifting them to the side a moment later with a bored expression.

"Gray, calm down! We can't start anything now!" pleaded Lucy, who struggled to keep him in his spot, hanging over his waist, as Wendy tried to secure his right leg. Next to them, Erza tried her best to keep Natsu away.

Although it took him a few more seconds, Gray relaxed and stopped resisting, much to the girl's relief. He took his eyes off Erigor and traced over the other members, especially the cloaked ones.

Natsu has also calmed down and resolved to glaring daggers at the God Slayer.

Using the chance, Wendy leaned over to Lucy. "Who is this person?" she pointed at Erigor.

"We fought him in the past. He was planning on killing Master Makarov, along with other Guild Masters." she said with disgust. "Gray stopped him just before he could do it. Who is this blonde guy?" she asked back.

"We met him on Tenrou Island...He uses God Slaying Magic, magic that is naturally superior to us, Dragon Slayers. Natsu was stronger than him, but he still lost due to differences in their magic. He is dangerous." explained solemnly Wendy.

"That explains the reaction, then." sighed worried Lucy.

"Hey." Gray walked up to Natsu and whispered into his ear. "Wasn't that four eyes the one Freed and the others tied to a rock before our camp on Tenrou?"

"Yeah, he was." he said and locked his eyes on one of the cloaked figures, as they narrowed dangerously. He knew this smell, it reminded him of someone. Someone he'd seen not so long ago...Who was it?

"It appears we have ourselves a commotion in the arena!" noticed Lola from his booth. "Is there bad blood between Fairy Tail and Raven Tail?!"

"Their Guild Masters are related and the guilds are on hostile terms." explained Yajima truthfully. "What I am more concerned, however, is who Raven Tail's team is consisted of." he added with a cold tone.

As the commentators wondered out loud, Erza frowned in the arena. Her eyes were stuck to a giant figure, yet uncloaked, standing just behind Erigor. The figure spotted her and as soon as they turned to the knight, she knew who she was dealing with.

"Is that you...Arya?" she asked.

The figure pulled their hood down, revealing a head far too small in comparison to the rest of its body, as Arya revealed his face, his trademark hat and bandages on his eyes still dosing his face.

"It is indeed I, Titania." he said with his echoing voice. "It appears that us meeting again was written in our destiny. This moment brings out a sensation that is opposite of sadness within my heart."

The redhead merely scowled and looked over the rest of the team. Erigor, the God Slayer, Arya...It wasn't hard to figure out, that the last cloaked person was also someone they had encountered in the past. This was planned out.

Back in the balcony, Makarov looked to his left, a disgusted frown stuck to his face. His son, who met his eyes, merely smiled and bowed mockingly.

"I see you're not holding anything back, Ivan." said quietly the elder.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have just now received an official statement from the Council!" exclaimed Lola, the sound of straightened out papers caught by his microphone. "Team Raven Tail, despite its criminal records, is fully eligible to participate in the Games! They have all served their punishment, or had their charges dropped! Everything is totally legal!"

"Bullshit!" roared Gray and stared at their previous adversaries. "There is no way these guys were let off the hook that easily!" he said and pointed at them with his finger.

Zancrow snickered mockingly at the Maker, which did not help calming his temper down.

"Ivan pulled some shit, didn't he?" Mirajane asked Laxus in the stands.

"Don't ask me." he said, annoyed.

"He did." said Gajeel from behind them, much to their surprise. "Arya aside, since he was released from jail four years ago, the rest has either snitched their way out, or had their past changed. As of today, they're all clean."

"How the hell do you know that?" asked him Mira with a frown.

"That's not important right now." interrupted them Makarov, his eyes piercing Gajeel, who backed down without a word. "Ivan...just what the hell do you want?"

"Well, now that things have been cleared out a little..." chuckled nervously Lola and cleared his throat. "Let us introduce the 1st place! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome...huh? Um...is this a mistake?"

"No, it most certainly is not." Yajima backed the confused Lola up, although he himself did not sound convinced.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears I have made a mistake! The 2nd place does indeed belong to Raven Tail… Raven Tail B!" he announced. "This is incredible, we've never had this happen before! Ladies and gentlemen, at 1st place, Team Raven Tail A!"

"What?!" exclaimed Erza and snapped her head to the only unopened door. Soon enough, much to the shock of her and her entire guild, the familiar faces of Emilia, Albert, Svenar, Ellia, and Leord walked out to the main arena, Albert's arms high in the air, as he roared on top of his lungs, much to the dismay of Ellia and Leord, who have both covered their ears with annoyance written on their faces.

Makarov stood up in his spot and looked down in disbelief. "You'd go this far…?" he asked weakly.

"This has gotten ugly." said Laxus with a gentle growl in his voice. "Your plan may have backfired, old man." he told his grandfather. "This will become a slaughter."

"Talk about unheard of..." said slowly Jura.

"Something tells me they are not interested in just winning." said Lyon, his eyes wandering to Fairy Tail.

On the other side, Sting stared the incoming team down, his expression unreadable.

"Do not be concerned about something as trivial as the results of preliminary round." told him Rogue. "The end results are all that matter."

"I know." replied truthfully Sting.

"You might want to tell that to this guy." said a large man with long, spiky hair and pointed at the stands with his thumb, their Master staring them down like a hawk.

"Do not fear, Orga. His complaints shall lose their impact when we present him with today's flawless performance." said a young man with a feathered hat and a mask. "Today shall be a splendid day. I feel I will get to memorize a lot of exciting things."

"I hope you're right, Rufus." sighed Orga.

Sting's attention shifted to Fairy Tail, which did not pass under Rogue's nose.

"Are you still going on about this?" he sighed tiredly.

The blonde Dragon Slayer closed his eyes gently. "No, not at this moment. Curiosity got the better of me. that's all."

Orga walked up to the Dragon Slayer and rested his arm on his head. "Well, you'll get your chance pretty soon. I wouldn't hold my hopes too high, though."

"I know."

A few meters away from Sabertooth a chubby, dark skinned girl with puffy, black hair poked her dark haired teammate with her elbow. She kept her eyes closed, her mind already focusing on the upcoming events.

"Kagura, that's Erza Scarlet." she said and pointed at the redhead with her finger. Their cloaked teammate, who stood behind them, twitched at the sound of the knight's name.

"I am well aware, Risley." replied Kagura, her eyes still closed. "I could tell when we entered the arena."

"What do you think? About our competition." asked them nervously a short girl with red hair. "Some of these people give me shivers..."

"Do not worry, Beth! If they underestimate us, they will deeply regret it!" said cheerfully Risley and punched her palm.

"Beth is right." said Kagura, much to Risley's shock. "Being cautious in the current state of the event should be a standard, especially with one guild putting out two teams. There are quite a few monsters gathered in this arena at this very moment. Do not lower your guard." she proclaimed and gently shifted her eyes toward Lamia Scale.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Raven Tail A has finally joined up with the other guilds. Their eyes immediately locked with Fairy Tail's, tension rising in the air.

"It appears you have yet to learn your lesson." said Albert. "Picking children over the likes of Laxus..." the giant shook his head as he looked at Wendy.

"You'll get your chance." told him Gray. "Don't you worry about it."

The giant smirked. "I am glad to hear it. It will be a glorious match!" he roared, making even the likes of Emilia annoyed. "Of course, I have a bone to pick with you too, Salamander!" he said and pointed his finger at Natsu, who frowned.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, much to the giant's shock.

"You impertinent-!"

As Albert started to scream in outrage about disrespect and cockiness, Ellia glared daggers at Lucy, who felt uncomfortable, to say the least.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, genuinely annoyed. "You glare at me whenever you see me...Have we even met before?"

"No, we have not." said shortly the girl and adjusted her scarf, which was once again wrapped around her ridiculous suit. "I'm just happy to see you're in the Games, bimbo. I won't have to break the law to get my hands on you again."

Lucy frowned. "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but if you have something against me, just say it!" she said harshly.

"Oh, I will. When the time is right." said Ellia and walked away, leaving Lucy alone, frustrated and confused.

A few feet away from them, Erza and Emilia's eyes met, neither of them showing any intense emotions. Not that they needed any. Both women have long realised, that their differences are quite likely far beyond the mere power of words. Their blades will speak in their stead.

"Hey, woman."

Zancrow walked up to Emilia seemingly out of nowhere, which forced the woman to break eye contact with Erza.

"What is it?" she asked, her tone far from curious of what he wanted.

"Just so you know, I don't give a shit about any of this." he said and motioned his hand at the arena. "I'm here just to burn some people, some more than the others. Don't expect me to obey you like a good doggie."

Emilia raised an eyebrow. "And why exactly are you telling me this?"

Zancrow blinked, taken back. "Ivan told me-"

"Do I look like Ivan to you?" she asked him sternly. "If you have complaints, tell him yourself. I couldn't care less what you do."

Although annoyed with her attitude, the God Slayer cracked a grin. "Just what I wanted to hear." he said and left her alone.

As the guilds continued to taunt and banter among each other, Kabo cleared his throat and stepped into the center of the arena.

"Now that we have introduced all participating guilds..." he exclaimed, his voice boosted by a microphone built into his mask "Let us get started with the first day of Grand Magic Games!"

The crowd started to cheer loudly, which put an end to any conversation that were still taking place among the guilds, their attention fully on the mascot.

"Today's event is called Hidden!" he exclaimed and motioned his hand upwards, a giant holographic table appearing above him.

The table was showing the city of Crocus, or at least a part of it. The stands, people and anything, that could show any signs of life in the city have vanished, as the cameras patrolled the empty streets.

"The event is simple!" explained Kabo. "Each team shall choose one participant, who will represent their team. Upon being chosen, you shall be scanned by our lacrima trackers. Do not worry, they are harmless!"

"Scanned?" frowned Lyon.

"Indeed!" Kabo pointed his finger at the Maker. "The rules of Hidden are simple! You will compete against one another in the designated area of Crocus! The streets will be filled with holographic images of each participant. Your goal is to find and strike a member of enemy guild! However, you must strike the real one! For each scored hit, you shall receive a point. For each struck hologram you will lose a point!"

"In other words, we have to figure out which enemy is made out of flesh." deduced Rustyrose.

"What a load of shit." scoffed Zancrow.

"Precisely!" nodded Kabo. "The point of Hidden is to showcase your offensive and defensive skills! You must be able to hide just as well as finding others! The person who has the most points at the moment time runs out wins the event!"

"As expected, we're only minutes into the Games, and the stakes are already high!" said Lola. "What a truly amazing event Hidden is!"

"Indeed." nodded Yajima. "Being strong is not enough. In a situation where just one mistake can be fatal it is most important to choose a suitable participant."

"Well, I'm sure my guild will manage to overcome the odds." pointed out Jenny with confidence.

"Now, then! Guilds, choose your representative! You have two minutes!" exclaimed Kabo and snapped his finger, a timer starting at number 120 materializing above him, the numbers already going down.

The guilds gathered around, murmurs filling the arena.

"This event will be all about careful movements and planning." stated Erza. "We have to pick carefully."

Lucy scratched her chin. "We have to assume whether the holograms will do a good job of looking human or not." she said. "We could start out by sending a Dragon Slayer and have them figure the others out by smell and all that..."

"But we have no idea if the holograms will have their smell as well." finished Erza, with Lucy nodding.

"It's a gamble." said the blonde.

"I'm going." stated boldly Gray, much to everyone's surprise.

Erza frowned. "Gray, I am by no means undermining you, but-"

"The other guilds have figured it out as well." he said and pointed with his thumb. "I'm gonna play along and join in on the plan."

"What plan?" asked him Wendy.

Gray grinned. "You'll see when they announce the representatives.

Once two minutes have passed, Kabo clapped his hands and spread his arms above his head, yet another table appearing out of thin air. It contained eight faces of the people taking part in the event.

"Fairy Tail's Gray! Lamia Scale's Lyon! Blue Pegasus' Eve! Sabertooth's Rufus! Raven Tail A's Emilia! Raven Tail B's Rustyrose! Mermaid Heel's Beth! Quatro Cerberus' Nobarly! You have been chosen! Please step forward into the circle!"

Kabo pointed his hand at a giant circle, that has appeared before him. After receiving their last bits of advice, the representatives stepped inside the circle, ready to start the event.

"What do you think his plan is?" Lucy asked Erza.

The redhead shook her head. "I don't know, but it appears he picked something up before deciding to take a part. All we can do is trust him." she said.

"I'm going to make sure you place dead last, Gray." Lyon told him inside of the circle.

"It's gonna be hard, since you won't score even a single point." Gray smirked at his rival, who smirked back.

Soon those inside the circle vanished and found themselves alone in empty streets of Crocus, scattered over the area.

"The time limit is 20 minutes!" Kabo's voice echoed across the city. "Best of luck to you all! Let Hidden begin!"

The sound of a very loud airhorn spread over Crocus, a giant timer appearing above the city for all to see.

Gray took a deep breath and closed his eyes in an attempt to calm his nerves down. The crowd could no longer be heard, silence creeping into his very being. This was good, this was for the best. Any distractions could only throw him off.

Back in the arena, Fairy Tail took residence in their designated team area. Erza walked up to the railing and rested her hands on it, her eyes glued to the lacrima screen levitating above the arena.

"You think he'll be all right?" asked her Lucy, who took a spot right next to the redhead.

"He will." she said confidently. "

"All right!" Gray told himself and took the first step forward.

He had no idea how long exactly he's been walking for, but to him it felt like hours. Each step made the echo bounce off the empty walls and alleys, confusing him. Each sound was met with a reaction that, although not serious, chipped away on his stamina. He felt tired just after a few minutes of being in this place.

All of a sudden, his right ear picked up a strange noise, which gave his body a very small window to jump out of the way of incoming projectiles. Much to his shock, multiple carrots were stuck in the pavement where he stood just a second ago.

"Darn!" cursed Beth from behind Gray. "I missed!" she said and ran back into the alley.

"Hey- wait!" Gray called out after her and ran in her direction. _Holy...If even one of those hit me..._

Right before he turned the corner, Gray punched the palm of his hand, only to stop dead in his tracks.

The alley was full of holograms, including his own, with Beth nowhere in sight. Cursing under his nose, Gray relaxed his hands and took a deep breath.

 _Okay._ he thought. _Let's give it a shot…_

Before he could get into his plan he felt piercing pain in his lower back, courtesy of Lyon, who kicked him with his right leg.

"Lyon, you-" gasped Gray, before vanishing in the air.

"You're still too naive, Gray." smirked Lyon.

"Oh, it appears we have ourselves a first scored point!" exclaimed excited Lola. "Lamia Scale's Lyon has landed a successful strike on Fairy Tail's Gray! That means Gray's location will be shuffled at random!"

A loud ping echoed above the city, as Lyon's name jumped all the way to the top, the zero next to his name changed into a one.

Gray fell to his knees in a different part of the town, cursing under his nose.

"He didn't use magic because he knew I'd hear him coming..." he deduced and dusted his clothes off. "And I lost sight of that chick...He wasn't kidding when he said the smallest mistake can be fatal." he moaned at the end and cracked his neck. "But I've got to do this...It's not really my style, but I'll play along. Time to get to work."

On the opposite end of the city, Nobarly encountered Rustyrose, who simply stared the man down in boredom, his hands in his pockets.

"I will give you this one chance to walk away." said Rusty. "Take it."

Nobarly grit his teeth. "Messing around with me...In your dreams, pal!" he exclaimed and jumped upwards to attack. "You're moving and talking...That means you're the real one! Take this!"

Nobarly kicked into Rustyrose's face and, much to his shock, noticed that he felt no impact upon connecting. On the contrary, his leg went right through the man's face, followed by the rest of his body.

"No way...A hologram?!" asked confused Nobarly, as the fake Rustyrose disappeared in thin air. He then looked up at the scoreboard, but to his relief his points have not changed.

"What the hell was that supposed to be?" he scratched his head in confusion and left the area.

One block away, the real Rustyrose adjusted his glasses and sighed tiredly. "To think I'd be forced to play along with this farce..." he scoffed under his breath and walked deeper into the dark alley, not showing any interest taking a part in the event at all.

Back in Gray's previous spot, Beth jumped out of her hiding, which was a wooden box behind a dumpster, and attacked Lyon with her magic.

 _ **CARROT RUSH!**_

Calm and focused, Lyon punched the palm of his hand.

 _ **ICE MAKE: SHIELD!**_

The carrots pierced the shield, but failed to reach Lyon. Disappointed that her sneak attack has failed once again, the girl cursed under her nose and jumped out of the way of Lyon's ice eagle, which broke the wall that was behind her. The girl has once again thrown herself into the crowd of holograms, much to the man's irritation.

"Fast at running, aren't you?" he said.

"Oh, it appears Beth has once again escaped by the skin of her teeth!" noticed Lola. "Lyon could not follow through with more attacks, due to the crowd before him! Reckless attacking would end up badly!"

"It looks like the holograms are there just for show." noticed Lucy. "We could have sent Natsu or Wendy after all."

"No, we couldn't." said Natsu, much to the blonde's surprise. "Gray was the better choice. He made the right call going."

"What do you mean?" asked him Erza, curious. "Do you see something we don't?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "You'll see it pretty soon, too. The other guilds have thought of that, too. Notice which type of magic is dominating among the participants." he said and pointed at the scoreboard with his finger.

As the girls traced their eyes over the board, Erza's widened upon realising. "You mean-"

"Yeah." Natsu cut her short. "And you can already see it in action."

Nobarly, who took the strategy of waiting for his opponents by hiding between holograms, could not help the shivers that took over his body, the temperature in his alley dropping drastically.

Before he could even think of what the hell was going on he felt something heavy hitting his head, a giant snowball knocking him down to the floor and effectively teleporting him someplace else.

Rustyrose, who was trying to stay away from the other participants, could not help but express annoyance at the steam that formed on his glasses.

"What the..." he cursed and took them off, only to then feel something heavy hit his back.

"Y-you dare?!" he yelled at his attacker before vanishing, as Gray dissolved his ice hammer with a smirk on his face.

Beth couldn't stop it even if she wanted to, as steam came out of her nose with each breath, courtesy of Lyon, who smirked and carefully piloted his ice eagles to strike the girl and earn him his second point.

All three ice mages scored their points simultaneously, much to Lola's excitement.

"What an amazing turn of events! At the same time, Gray, Lyon and Eve have all scored their points! We have ourselves a battle, ladies and gentlemen!" he exclaimed.

"Those other two are just copying Eve's strategy." Jenny clicked her tongue in displeasure.

Lyon, Eve and Gray's names have risen to the top. Lyon remained at number one with two points, Eve and Gray right below him respectively with one point each.

"That's it Gray, keep it going!" cheered loudly Lucy.

"Temperature!" deduced impressed Erza. "They can pinpoint who is the real enemy by lowering the temperature in the area, thus making them reveal their location by things as trivial as breathing or wearing thin clothing."

"Even if you sent me or Wendy, those two guys would have been able to find us anyway." Natsu explained to his excited team. "Wendy would freeze like the rest and I would raise the temperature in the street, which, even if didn't pinpoint my location, would still let them know I was there. Gray can fit in with the other two, making them all counter each other. At this point, each of them has only five targets, not seven."

"Now that you mention it, these two have not met one another yet." pondered Lucy and pointed at Gray and Eve with her finger.

"They have, they just didn't notice." pointed out Natsu. "Gray walked past that Pegasus dude at the very beginning, but since they couldn't detect each other, they didn't realise."

"So that's why Lyon got a hit on him. He was one of the two people that could bypass his defenses." said Wendy.

"Yeah. Gray's been using it since the beginning, he simply got unlucky."

"It appears that ice mages have completely dominated this event thus far." noticed Pantherlily from Fairy Tail's stand.

"Yes, but it's not like the other guilds can not catch up." noticed Carla and looked at the scoreboard. There were 12 minutes left. "Plenty of time to make a comeback, and their secret is out in the open by now.

"It appears the event belongs to ice mages, !" said Lola. "What can the other guilds do in this situation?"

"There are more ways to distinguish an original from a copy." said the elder. "Magic power is just as big of a giveaway as cold breath."

"It appears Beth had the same idea! While we were talking, she engaged Raven Tail A's Emilia in battle!"

Beth grunted and jumped high in the air, before throwing a salve of carrots at Emilia. The woman did not even bother to pull her lade out of its sheath and jumped back, dodging and blocking the strikes with her left hand.

"Damn it!" gasped Beth and landed on her feet, ready to retreat. "It's not my day!" she exhaled and just when she was about to run away, she was in for a surprise.

In a matter of a second Emilia closed the distance between them, dashing through the alley at speed so great the younger girl couldn't even react. Emilia's fist found its way into Beth's stomach, making her cough up and disappear in the air as she became Emilia's first point for her team.

"Fast and fierce! Emilia makes quick way of Beth and joins the boys with her first point!" announced excited Lola.

"Ridiculous." scoffed Emilia and jumped at the nearest rooftop, before running away from the alley.

Two blocks away Lyon has once again engaged Gray, this time in one of the biggest streets, both men startled by the sudden meeting.

"Looks like luck isn't on your side today, Gray!" exclaimed Lyon and molded an eagle. "To run into me this often!"

Gray punched his palm and shattered the eagle with lances that grew out of the ground. "Luck? You're the easiest target I could have met!" he said back and launched the weapons at Lyon, who blocked them with a shield.

Both Makers continued to exchange attacks whilst making sure they did not hit any of the holograms nearby.

Lyon clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Looks like you've gotten better at controlling your creations. About time." he praised Gray in his own way and jumped out of the way of his ice hammer.

"You've finally started to use both hands." noticed Gray and lifted Lyon's ice tiger high in the air with a giant spear. "I actually have to put some effort into stopping your attacks now."

"Careful Gray, if you speak just a few decibels louder your shirt will pop."

"I'd rather fight naked than wear this Dracula wannabe coat of yours."

"I always knew you were getting a thrill out of stripping in front of people."

"At least I didn't play with dolls until I was eleven!"

As the two continued to argue and exchange attacks. Nobarly and Beth have sneaked up on Gray and Lyon respectively, both of them too busy to notice.

"This time I wont miss!" said Beth and aimed her arm at Lyon.

"I will get my first points!" Nobarly punched his palm and bent his knees.

In a matter of a second, both Makers stopped exchanging attacks and shifted their right arms to the side. Both Beth and Nobarly started to freeze up from feet to neck on the opposite ends of the street, shocked and confused.

"One second." said Gray and Lyon at the same time and turned around to their failed attackers, before walking up to them and flicking them in the forehead, which made them both disappear.

"What concentration! Lyon and Gray, despite being in a heated duel, have both predicted an enemy sneak attack and scored one point each!" yelled Lola. "We are pushing towards the last five minutes of the event and Lyon is still in the lead, with three points! Gray is just behind him with two! Can he even the score out and land a clean hit on Lyon before time runs out?!"

"It appears we have ourselves a big fight just a street away." noticed Yajime.

Beth and Nobarly, who have decided to engage one another in fight, rather than trying to attack the Makers again, have been interrupted by Eve, who blocked their escape routes with a blizzard.

"There is nowhere to run now." he smiled and send multiple snowballs at Beth, who skillfully dodged them all.

"Does everyone in this event use cold magic?!" she complained and dodged yet another barrage of snowballs. "Leave me alone!"

Eve ducked under a giant carrot that would have seriously hurt him. "You'll have to aim better than that!" he taunted with a smile and motioned his hand, his blizzard skillfully taking Beth in and scoring a hit.

"I did." she smirked before vanishing and much to Eve's surprise he could hear osmeone being teleported behind him as well.

"What an outcome! In her last attempt before being eliminated Beth managed to land a hit on Nobarly, who was about to strike Eve down! Both Eve and Beth score one point each!" announced Lola.

Eve has once again tied Gray, both with two points, while Beth climbed her way just underneath them with one.

"So that's what happened..." sighed Eve and scratched the back of his head. "There's not much time left." he noticed after looking at the timer. "I better go take out those two-"

Before he could even finish forming his thought, the building next to him broke into pieces. The young man could feel something hard pressing against his chin and a second later he found himself flying through the street, before reappearing someplace else, confused and barely conscious.

"Out of the way!" yelled Gray and retracted the leg he kicked Eve with back. His arms were in front of his chest, holding a giant shield that did its best at holding Lyon's giant ice tiger back. The sheer force of this creation managed to push Gray through a building and knock unlucky Even down.

"Oh! Gray has immediately increased his lead over Eve by striking him and scoring a point! He has now tied with Lyon for first place!" exclaimed Lola.

"Nothing but pure luck!" scoffed fuming Jenny.

"There is some truth to it..." admitted nervously Yajima.

"That's it Gray! Just a bit more!" yelled Lucy and Wendy from the stands.

Unlike her teammates, Erza did now show any enthusiasm, as she tapped her index finger against her bicep with a frown glued to her face. She kept looking at both the scoreboard and the timer, the bad feeling in her chest growing with each passing second.

"Just go down already, will you?" growled Lyon and shifted his hands to make his tiger flank Gray, who countered it by locking the tiger in an ice cage.

"What's the matter, getting tired?!" taunted him Gray from top of his cage. "This thing lost all its power!"

A sinister smirk curved Lyon's lips. "Yes, it did."

Gray couldn't help but wince from the piercing, sharp pain that took over his right leg. Upon looking down he noticed a snake, its jaw setting its teeth in his calf.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Gray.

"I made it when I pushed you through the wall." explained Lyon. "I had it sneak its way around you, since I knew you'd be able to suppress my tiger if given a moment to breathe."

"Damn it!" yelled Gray and vanished after becoming Lyon's fourth point.

At the same time as the battle between two Makers came to a conclusion, Beth and Nobarly, who have met each other once again, have successfully managed to strike one another at the same time, both scoring points.

"Lyon takes the lead! He remains at the top with four points to his name! Beth and Nobarly also score points after a very exciting exchange of attacks! There's only a minute left on the clock, can the others catch up in time?!" exclaimed excited Lola.

"I didn't expect him to be so fast..." whined Beth and massaged her sore head. "I gave a point again...Kagura will give me an earful." she sighed.

"We have not seen much from Emilia, nor have we even seen Rufus once." pointed out Yajima. "Both of them may have something up their sleeve."

"As expected of a former Sage, as observant as they go."

Beth snapped her head up to see where this menacing voice was coming from. Upon spotting its owner she had only but a second to react, as pain struck her whole body and caused her to teleport someplace else.

"This event lacks any shape or form of excitement." proclaimed Rufus from one of the clock towers, freshly after eliminating Beth. "The crowd is here to be entertained, not put to sleep!"

"What is this clown doing?" asked Lyon, who has just spotted Rufus. Not just him. Every participant had their eyes glued to the member of Sabertooth, who waited until the very end of the event to show himself.

"What is this guy doing?" Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Doesn't he realise they can all attack him now?"

Erza's frown deepened. This was it, this was the bad feeling she's had since the last few minutes. Such confidence was never a good sign.

Rufus spread his arms to the sides and then touched his temples with his index and middle fingers.

"Your pulses, your movements, your magic power, your breathing...I have memorized it all upon the introductions. While you wasted your time getting fridndly, my mind was already set on battle!" he proclaimed loudly.

His body started to emit a yellowish aura, wild and ferocious in nature.

 _ **MEMORY MAKE: NIGHT OF THE FALLING STARS!**_

The aura broke into several beams of light that cut through the air at speed so great the other participants didn't even have time to react. Rustyrose was the first to be struck, much to his shock, followed by one more attack on freshly relocated Beth and then Nobarly. Eve was shot down from the air after his attempt to strike Rufus down before he could unleash his attack, and Gray and Lyon's defenses have been pierced through like butter cut by a hot knife.

The participants cried out in pain, as a powerful current of electricity ran through their veins, shocking them and scoring Rufus six points within a single second.

"What a display of power!" roared Lola as he stood up from his spot, amazed beyond belief. "In just a blink of an eye Rufus has taken the lead and stolen Lyon's place at the top! He is now leading with seven points to his name and only 15 seconds left in the event!"

The crowd roared at Rufus' display of power, Sabertooth's name being chanted across the arena like a spell.

"We've been waiting for this!" yelled one of the spectators.

"You had me worried there, Sabertooth!" added another.

Back in Saber's stand his teammates did not show any excitement or happiness. They stared at the screen with frowns.

"Hey..." muttered Orga.

"Yeah." Sting narrowed his eyes.

"What is the meaning of this?" Rufus scowled to himself, his cocky smirk long gone from his face. "I am certain I have fired seven strikes, and yet-"

Sharp pain has taken away his ability to speech, his hat falling off his head onto the ground below. He clutched his stomach in agony and fell off the tower, disappearing in the air before he could hit the ground.

Not just him. Within only split second of time between, all the other participants have felt something powerful hit them so hard they could barely remain conscious. Gray, who was fortunate enough to actually spot something before being relocated, managed to notice two things.

A very dull sound before he was hit, and a small, blinding light in the window of the bell tower, the tallest structure in the area.

The airhorn echoed over the city once again as the timer hit 0's, marking the end of Hidden.

"W-what is the meaning of this?!" Lola yelled out in confusion. "Is there something we have missed?! Was Rufus' strategy deeper than we thought it was?!"

"Focus the cameras on the bell tower." Yajima ordered the camera crew.

Much to the shock of literally everyone watching rhe Games, Emilia emerged from the window of the bell tower and adjusted her glasses, a scoped rifle resting on her right shoulder, smoke coming out of its barrel.

"It's Emilia!" roared Lola. "Raven Tail A's Emilia emerges out of the shadows at the last possible moment and claims the event as her own! With eight points, she is the winner of Hidden!"

Makarov's eyes narrowed. "She is powerful." he declared.

Erza punched the railing of their balcony so hard it cracked. "Of course! It makes perfect sense!" she cursed under her nose.

"A sniper? Are you kidding me?" sweatdropped nervously Orga.

"Man, Rufus is gonna be pissed." chuckled Sting.

"Are you not concerned over the results of this event?" asked him Rogue.

"Hell no. The stronger the enemy, the better."

"Sting can overcome any obstacle!" announced proudly Lector. "This is what it means to be the strongest!"

Back in the arena, Rufus clicked his tongue and dusted his hat off. "How cowardly..."

Gray has finally managed to get back to his feet. No longer able to keep his emotions at bay, he ripped his shirt off and punched the nearest wall, feeling frustrated and humiliated.

"I couldn't do a thing..." he said through his teeth. "Three times in a row…Memory Make..."

He punched the wall one more time with a growl and left for the team stands.

"This event was the perfect way to show these people just how dangerous Emilia is." Ivan smiled under his beard. "Her magic combined with her mastery of arms and her weapon, Nemesis, make her a master of any form of combat, regardless of the distance."

"Especially with the tweaks we've given her over these past few months." added Rorge from the side.

"You're being too modest." praised him Ivan.

"Well, I'm glad at least one of our teams is doing good. B team is turning out to be a waste of our time."

"I am sure they will play their part out correctly. No need to be hostile." said Ivan.

Rorge squinted his eyes. "Weren't you the one who called them cannon fodder? I kept telling you that recruiting them would only put more strain on-"

"This is hardly the place or time to discuss this, wouldn't you agree?" smiled Ivan. His voice, although not raised, was cold and piercing through.

Rorge swallowed some saliva and remained quiet.

"As expected of Emilia!" Albert roared on top of his lungs from his stands. "That's our captain!" he leaned over to make sure the approaching woman could hear him. Although her head was tilted towards the ground, there was a faint shadows of a smile on her face.

"You know no one can hear you, right?" sweatdropped Svenar. "Spare our ears please."

"The brute aside..." sighed Ellia and wiped her aching ear with his finger. "Talk about terrifying. I don't know what they did to her but lately her senses were even sharper than before."

"They didn't do anything." said Leord, which surprised his team. "She did not do what they told her to do and instead trained on her own."

"Talk about shocking..." taunted him Ellia with a smirk. "So you _can_ talk by yourself without Master around, huh?"

"Leave him be, Ellia." told her sternly Svenar. "It's not his fault Master has such a hardon for him." he said and walked up to the redhead, before playfully hanging his arm around his neck "He was the only one who didn't have to master his abilities after the surgery, he was a monster from day one." he grinned and jabbed Leord's chest with his finger, much to the boy's displeasure.

"You sound jealous." Albert said to the girl. "It doesn't suit a lady."

Ellia looked at the giant and, much to his shock, did not reply with a nasty remark. She merely sighed and shrugged. "Well, that's because I am. I had to spend the most time in training, so it's natural I'm pissed. Sorry, tough guy." she said with a smirk and gently punched Leord in the shoulder.

"No problem." he said flatly.

Back in Fairy Tail's stands, Erza and the others watched Gray make his way back, his head held up high but rid of any emotions. He was welcomed by boo's and jeers, but he made nothing of them, marching forward like a steel wall.

"Poor Gray..." Wendy lowered her head sadly. "He must be frustrated..."

"He did good, regardless of the outcome." told her Lucy. "Look." she pointed at the scoreboard.

 **Raven Tail A – 10**

 **Sabertooth – 8**

 **Lamia Scale – 6**

 **Fairy Tail – 4**

 **Blue Pegasus – 3**

 **Mermaid Heel – 2**

 **Quatro Cerberus – 1**

 **Raven Tail B – 0**

"We are only one event into the Games and the competition is already fierce!" said Lola. "A slow start that turned into a fierce war within the streets of Crocus, followed by two major upsets in the last 60 seconds! What an exciting event Hidden was!"

"3rd place?! You had this in the bag, Lyon!" Obaba yelled at the Maker, who has just returned to the rest of his team. "You lost your focus at the end!"

"I'm sorry, everyone." he apologized.

"You kidding me? That was great!" told him Sherria, which seemed to cheer him up instantly.

"The last 60 seconds were almost impossible to predict." told him Jura with a smile. "There is no need to feel bad. Your opponents were remarkable, especially the last two. Take as much from this loss as you can and reflect on it when your time comes again."

"Yes, sir."

Gray, who has also returned to his team, did not say a word, his eyes on the floor. His team didn't say anything either, unsure what to do.

"Graaaaaay!" yelled someone from the crowd.

The Maker shifted his head to the side, only to see Makarov and the rest of the guild screaming something at him.

"Well done my boy!" Makarov roared so hard half of the crowd had to cover their ears to block his enhanced voice.

Gray smirked weakly but didn't respond.

"Sulk after the day is over." told him harshly Natsu, much to everyone's surprise. "You might still get called out to fight."

"Hey- Natsu!" scolded him Lucy. "You can't just say things like that!"

"That was too harsh!" told him Wendy.

"That was the plan." said the Maker ignoring the girls and dusted off his shirt, that was still in his hand. "Sorry, you guys."

"No need to be." smiled Erza. "You did great out there. We are in the upper half, that's as good outcome as any. Besides, you received fewer boo's than we did when we arrived here. I say this was a success."

Gray snorted gently. "Yeah, I guess."

"Raven Tail, despite having two teams did not dominate the event as harshly as one could expect." pointed out Yajima. "This could still be anybody's game, however, the top four was clearly in a different league than the rest."

"Well put, as always! We will be taking a short break now to calm down and make some room for more excitement that is coming right up! We will be back with the Battle section of the day shortly! Please, do not wander off too far!"

A giant timer appeared in the arena once again, this time counting down to the end of the break.

As the crowd started to leave their seats to use their break, so have the team stands. Each team left with a different mood, however, no matter how foul or happy it was, they all had the same goal in mind.

To show their true strength once the 30 minutes were up.

 **End of Chapter 37. To be continued in Chapter 38: Day One: A Grim Reminder.**


	39. Day One: A Grim Reminder

It has been a few minutes into the break, the corridors and lobby filling up with people replenishing their snacks or looking for the toilet.

In the wing designated specifically for staff walked an elderly man with a cane, his hat rocking gently on top of his head with each step.

"Thank you, I am quite confident in my ability to take care of my business by myself." said Yajima warmly to his two designated guards.

"O-Of course, sir." said one of them, embarrassed, much to the elder's amusement.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." said the former Sage and cut the corner to head to the toilets.

A couple of steps into the empty toilet, Yajima felt his shoulders becoming much heavier than they were supposed to, a knot forming in his throat a second later. The elder squeezed the pummel of his cane harder than usual in an attempt to remain calm and took a deep breath out.

Although he couldn't possibly see what was behind him, the elder was no fool. He knew, that his situation was dire, to put it lightly. He had no idea how, or where it came from, but his thoughts were with the well being of young men he left just behind the corner, rather than his own.

Yajima did not dare to turn around. Not that he'd be given a chance to, most likely. He could simply stand there and await the inevitable.

A giant figure in a ragged cloak stood just a few meters behind the old man in the doorway, blocking any possible way of escape. It was most definitely not human, for humans did not have fur on their arms and legs.

Neither did they have razor sharp claws.

The figure took a step forward and just when the sound of the heavy foot pushing into the ground bounced off the walls of the room, Yajima closed his eyes in acceptance of his fate.

Both the figure and Yajima felt hair stand up on their heads, as yet another set of footsteps entered the toilet, this time much lighter.

The figure turned around in a quick fashion only to spot a hand just in front of its face and with only a split second to make a decision, it narrowly avoided having its head blasted off its shoulder by a ray of light that broke the only window in the room. The figure growled and jumped through it, only to then vanish in the busy city.

Yajima looked out the window and breathed out in relief, cold sweat dripping off his face onto the floor. He clutched his chest with his free hand and slowly turned around to face his savior, whom he has just recognized as a member of Raven Tail B.

"Are you all right, ?" asked the figure, their blue hair peeking from under the hood.

Yajima's eyes narrowed, his expression of gratitude delayed in the process. "Oh. It's you." he said in a weak but slightly piercing voice.

Jellal took his hood off and pulled the mask on his face down, revealing his face to the former Sage. He made nothing of his hostile tone and instead walked up to the window to examine it.

"May I ask what brought you here?" asked Yajima.

"I could sense something foul within this arena since the beginning." explained the rogue mage and looked at a piece of broken glass – it had some hair on it, which he collected into a bottle. "I'd decided to check it out during the break and that's how I ended up here."

Yajima exhaled through his nose. "I see." he said shortly. "Your curiosity may have just saved my life. For that I am grateful. But I think it'd be for the best you leave now, far away, preferably."

Jellal put the bottle into his inside pocket and stood up, readjusting his hood and mask in the process. "I can't, not just yet." he said.

"It is not in my interest to know why you've decided to masquerade as a member of Raven Tail, but I find it highly unlikely you will remain undetected until the end." said Yajima. "I am not speaking out of spitefulness. I am giving you one last piece of advice, for old times sake."

Jellal smiled. "I'd lie if I said those little talks we had were not my favorite part of being a Council member." he said and pulled his hood down as much as he could. "I'd appreciate you did not mention I was here."

"I will not call the guards on you this time." said Yajima. "But if we ever meet within this arena again I will not hesitate. Nor will I stand up for you if someone else tracks you down."

"I appreciate it." bowed Jellal and walked past the elder. "Please, stay safe, ." he told him in farewell. "You are not safe, not anymore."

Yajima squinted his eyes and watched Jellal leave the toilet. Just when the rogue mage closed the door behind him he dropped his nostalgic expression and replaced it with an irritated frown.

"I don't think the order of arrival was quite right just now." he said to the short, brownhaired man standing up against the wall a few feet away from the door.

Rickard Smith smiled under his messy beard and shrugged. "In my defense, I got here just when that thing took a step inside. You just got to him first, that's all."

Jellal narrowed his eyes and turned away from the Council Captain. "Get your act together." he told him and took a step forward, ready to leave.

"Come, now. I wanted to give you a solid tip and you just flip me off?" he asked in a hurt tone.

Jellal turned around to face the man. "What is it?" he asked.

Rickard's face turned serious. "Prisoner 000949 went missing a year ago."

Jellal's eyes grew wide in terror, sweat running down his face. "What did you say?!" he choked out. "What...Why are you telling me just now?!"

"Because I found out a week ago myself." replied the Captain. "I have no idea what the higherups were thinking but even the other Captains have no idea. This information is known only to Sages and the Chairman. It was covered so well no one has even noticed it happened, not even the guards who stood by his cell. I happen to know just because I overheard it." said Rickard and stepped away from the wall. "That's all. Do what you want with it, but this is the last time I am helping you lot. Consider our relationship to be of the same nature as Yajima's. Next time we meet one on one, I am taking you with me. I have enough stuff on my head as it is."

With that said the Captain pulled out a lacrima and contacted his subordinates, ordering them a thorough, but quiet search of the city, and leaving shocked Jellal to himself. He reached down to his pocket with his shaking hand and pulled out an orb, which he then rubbed a few times.

"Ultear..." he said flatly upon reaching his comrade. "We have a problem."

* * *

 **Twenty minutes later**

With the break over, the arena was once again filled with people and attractions, ready and excited for arguably the most interesting part of the Games – battles.

The guilds were already back in their stands, waiting in anticipation for the matchups.

"I've managed to get a hold of one of the people working on the Games." Erza told her team. "Apparently they pair guilds up first and then let the sponsors decide who will take a part in the fight."

"Some random people will decide who fights?" frowned Gray. "I don't like that one bit."

"Me neither, but this is how things are." said the knight. "All of us will have to focus and expect to be called out, there is no other choice."

"Right."

"I am worried about something else." said slowly Lucy. "I don't expect sponsors to be experts on magic, so there might be a chance some matches will be extremely mismatched."

"I know, but there is no way around it." said Erza. "Anyone put up against Jura would be considered a mismatch. This may be an event focused on teams, but individual performances are just as important."

Lucy felt shivers running down her back after imagining herself being put up against the gentle, but also terrifying Wizard Saint. Erza smiled at the blonde and put her armored hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's okay."

"I am sure you would give him a run for his money if it came to that."

"Haha...yeah..."

"It started." Natsu cut them off and pointed at the arena.

Kabo was standing in the middle of the arena once again and cleared his throat.

"Welcome back, ladies and gentlemen!" he said with his enhanced voice. "Thank you all for coming back! We shall now begin the second part of the day! Guild Battles!"

The crowd cheered and yelled, clearly excited for the upcoming performances.

"As always, the second half of the day is the most exciting one, according to our viewers!" pointed out Lola from his booth. "However, it might be hard to beat after the outstanding event Hidden was!"

"There is nothing wrong in having two equally interesting events." said calmly Yajima. His voice was still a bit weak.

"Well said, as always!"

Back in the arena, Kabo clapped his hands and pointed them upwards, yet another table appearing above him for everyone to see. It contained of four pairs of empty squares.

"The matchups are finalized! These will be today's battles!" he said and snapped his fingers.

The squares have now been filled out with names of the guilds, which took probably longer than it should have. After a brief moment, the tables presented themselves as such:

 **Sabertooth vs Quatro Cerberus**

 **Blue Pegasus vs Mermaid Heel**

 **Lamia Scale vs Raven Tail B**

 **Fairy Tail vs Raven Tail A**

The crowd roared in excitement at the sight of the matchups, their combined voices shouting over Kabo's, much to his dismay.

"Please, listen to these cheers!" Lola roared into his microphone. "What a spectacular first day we have this year! It looks like it may fall down in history!"

Yajima and Jenny gave their input as well, but their voices failed to break through the barrier created by the crowd.

Back in the guild stands, the paired up guilds were already eyeing each other up.

"Talk about destiny." scoffed Gray and cracked his neck. "To think we'd run into each other on the first day."

"Whoever made it happen knows what our relations outside of this arena are." said nervously Lucy.

"Time doesn't matter." Makarov said to his guild back in the spectator's spot. "Sooner or later we would have ran into one another. I think it's for the best to have a confrontation this early. Depending on the results it might give us a chance to learn and grow even further."

"I sure hope that chance won't turn out to be one of our friends broken beyond repait in the hospital." said grimly Mirajane under her nose.

Laxus sighed through his nose. "You said it."

"Order doesn't matter." Erza told her team. "It would have happened one way or another. Stay focused and give your best if it's your turn. That's all we can do now."

Back in Lamia Scale's stands, Jura stroked his beard with a gentle frown.

"Are you worried?" asked him Lyon.

The Wizard Saint relaxed his face. "There is some worry in my mind, yes."

Lyon smirked. "There's no need to be worried. We're strong enough to take them on."

"It is not their strength I am worried about, even though it is definitely worthy of being cautious of." said the man. "It is the nature of these individuals."

"Well, we'll just have to make sure to be audible when giving up, if it comes to that." said jokingly Yuka, although Jura did not find it funny.

Sting yawned exasperatedly and wiped his teary eyes off. "Damn, what a boring day." he complained.

"I agree." said shortly Rogue.

"Didn't they have that one guy that was really popular?" asked Orga.

"Yes, but it appears he has not been elected to be a part of the primary team." said Rufus. "Perhaps the rumors were a stretch?"

"What a shame..."

A few minutes later, once the crowd has calmed down, Kabo clapped his hands once again.

"Without putting it away any further, let us begind the second half of the day! The match up for the first battle of this year's Grand Magic Games is…!"

The table changed, the matched up guilds vanishing, replaced by names of the fighters written with huge letters. The table wrote as such:

 **Orga Nanagear, Sabertooth**

 **vs.**

 **Warcry, Quatro Cerberus**

"Oh, it's this guy!" Sting's face lit up. "He's hilarious! Change of plans, I will be watching it!"

"Not this clown..." sighed Rogue and massaged his forehead.

"I, for one, consider his magic as interesting." said Rufus with a smile.

"Well, better get this done with." sighed Orga and headed down the stairs to get into the arena.

Back in Cerberus's stands, the entire team rounded up in a group hug.

"You can do this!" roared Rocker on top of his lungs. "We are fierce! We are tough! We are Wild..."

"Five!" roared all five men and soon broke the hug to let Warcry get down to the arena.

A minute later both men were staring each other down at the center of the arena, as Kabo explained the rules.

"Time limit is 30 minutes." he said. "You will fight until one of you can no longer fight back, or gives up. You can give up by saying it out loud or repeatedly tapping the ground. Killing your opponent and receiving help from outside the arena are forbidden. Any questions?"

"Nope." said Orga.

"None!" growled Warcry.

"It appears we have ourselves a small change in the rules this year!" noticed Lola. "Tapping has never been an option of surrender before!"

"In the heat of the moment speech can come with difficulty." explained softly Yajima. "I agree with this change."

"The referee has ordered both fighters to take a few steps back!" said Lola with excitement. "We are just about to begin! It's time!"

"Both fighters are ready!" exclaimed Kabo and raised his arm in the air. "Let the first battle of this year's Grand Magic Games...begin!"

As Kabo's arm cut through the air, the sound of a giant bell being rung echoed across the area. The mascot jumped back to the side to not be in the way of the duel.

"And here it is! We have officially begun the first match!" exclaimed Lola. "Having Sabertooth at the start must be a treat for our viewers!"

"This should be a good match." said Yajima. "I am interested in Warcry's abilities."

Down in the arena, Warcry jumped back to make some distance from Orga. He bent his knees and clawed his hands, which combined with his attire made him look like a wild beast.

Orga, on the other hand, sighed and cracked his neck. "Let's get this done with." he told his opponent.

Warcry scowled. "You lack emotions. A man is truly manly when he is confident in expressing his emotions and letting them do as they please! Emotions are the true source of strength!" he said, his voice breaking down more with each word.

"Oh! It's coming!" said excitedly Sting.

Without any warning at all, Warcry began to bawl his eyes out, his tears splashing everywhere around him. Those unfamiliar with what was going on could only blink in confusion, desperately awaiting an explanation.

"There it is! Warcry's Tear Magic!" exclaimed Lola. "Bizarre in nature and appearance, but extremely effective!"

"Tear Magic?" sweatdropped Lucy.

"What a joke..." sighed Gray.

Sting laughed out loud, much to Rogue's irritation.

"I truly fail to see the appeal you see in this." he told him.

Sting wiped his eyes- "Because...I mean...This is so ridiculous and useless that there is no other choice but laugh at it...I mean...I can't even pity him for choosing this useless ability, I can just laugh!" he said in-between laughter.

Orga could simply stare, dumbfounded and unsure what to do next. With his guard down, Warcry continued to bawl even more and raised his right hand in an attempt to use his chance.

"Maybe this will open your dam!" he told his opponent and swung his arm at him.

The oversized tears under his eyes extended at great speed and gave Orga little to no time to get out of their way. The tears, much to his shock, managed to crack the ground with their strike, sending chills down the giant's back.

"Warcry makes the first move!" commented Lola. "His magic can not be underestimated!"

Orga's eyes narrowed, his attitude changing. Confident after the first strike, Warcry kicked the ground and dashed forward. "The more emotional men are, the stronger they-"

In a matter of a second Warcry vanished from the arena, swallowed by a giant ball of black lightning. Once dispelled a few seconds later, it revealed charred and unconscious Warcry, who collapsed onto the ground face first, utterly defeated.

The crowd went silent for a moment, only to explode in cheers a second later, Sabertooth's name being chanted once again.

Orga stared his beaten opponent down and lowered his raised hand with a short sigh coming out of his nose.

"There it is! Orga's black lightning!" Lola roared into his microphone. "Just like that the match is over! What a display of strength! Sabertooth has 18 points to their name after day one! Nearly a flawless performance!"

"Despite having an impressive start, the difference in strength could not be overlooked." pointed out Yajima.

"Winner by KO: Sabertooth's Orga Nanagear!" announced Kabo and raised Orga's hand as high as he could.

Once the referee let go of him, Orga cracked his neck and turned around to leave the arena.

Back in spectator's area, Laxus tightened the grip on his bicep. "Black lightning, huh?" he muttered.

In Raven Tail B's stands, Zancrow leaned over the railing and hummed to himself. "So there are others like me, huh."

"Afraid?" asked him playfully Rustyrose.

"Huh?! Hell no!" the God Slayer snapped at his guildmate. "I'll burn this guy to a crisp! It doesn't matter which type of lightning he uses!"

"It is perfectly human to be afraid of something." said Arya with his deep voice. "Humans become truly powerful when offered a chance to overcome their fears. They develop strength both in mind and body, for striving to improve ourselves is written within our destiny!"

"What the hell is wrong with this guy?" frowned Zancrow.

"He does have a point. You have been rather annoyed whenever there was thunder involved." pointed out Rusty and adjusted his glasses. "Perhaps-"

"Do you want to die?!"

As they continued to argue, Sting leaned over his railing. "Aw, come on, man! You ended it too soon!" he moaned. "Give more of a show, will you?"

Orga stopped walking and looked up at his teammate, his expression unreadable. "Fine. I'll sing a song." he said and turned back around.

"No, don't!"

Rogue facepalmed. "Well done, Sting."

A few minutes later, once the security has successfully managed to take the microphone away from Orga, the crowd recollected itself and either unplugged their ears, or stopped laughing at how terrible the performance was, the reactions being somewhat even.

Those with enhanced senses were in rather bad shape, especially Emilia, who had woken up to Albert offering her a glass of water, which she refused with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"Are you guys okay?" Erza asked Natsu and Wendy, who have both curled up into a ball back in their stands.

"Y-Yes." said weakly Wendy. "I'm fine." Natsu shook his head and simply groaned.

"As horrible as it was, we can not deny their strength and popularity." said Makarov and gently stroked his beard.. "Yet another strong rival..."

"I guess focusing on just one guild was a mistake." said Cana. "Enemies left and right, huh?"

A few minutes later the next match has begun. Ren from Blue Pegasus was put up against Mermaid Heel's Arania Webb.

After equally trading blows for the first minutes of the match, Arania managed to find an opening in his defenses, most likely caused by his fiance, Sherry, and dealt some serious damage. With his back against the wall, Ren found new strength and overcame Arania in one, swift attack, winning the match and earning 10 points for his team. Combined with Eve's score, Blue Pegasus finished day one with 13 points.

"That's our Ren!" cheered Jenny, completely disregarding any professionalism. "Well done!"

"That was a very close and exciting match." said Yajima with a smile. "That last attack was executed perfectly."

"And just like that we are once again proven, that anything can happen! Comebacks and sudden turnarounds are not unheard of in Grand Magic Games!" said Lola. "Now, then, let us get through with the third match of the day! Please put your eyes on the screen!"

The screen above the arena has once again started to materialize letters, that formed into the following:

 **Yuka, Lamia Scale**

 **vs.**

 **Rustyrose, Raven Tail B**

"That guy again, huh." said Gray. "Looks like you can be in both the event and battle. Looks like I'm not off the hook just yet."

Back in Lamia Scale's stands, Lyon put his arm on Yuka's shoulder. "Be careful. Their team is made out of weirdos and the guy didn't show anything during the event. Stay on your guard."

"I know." said shortly Yuka.

"Go out there and win! You can do it, boy!" ordered him Obaba.

"Yes, ma'am." he smiled and left for the arena.

A minute later he found himself crossing the arena to its center, his opponent approaching from the opposite side. Yuka could feel the pressure, but did not give in and clenched his fists in an attempt to remain calm.

"This is gonna get ugly." said Elfman and gripped the railing. "This guy is dangerous." he added with a low growl in his voice. Back behind him, Evergreen clutched her shoulder, clearly not over what happened to her at the hands of the dark mage.

Rustyrose's face was hard to read, rid of any particular emotions. But that was far from the truth – his mind was racing like crazy.

As Kabo has once again explained the rules while Yuka stared him down, the former member of Grimoire Heart could only focus his eyes on Raven Tail's balcony, his brows changing into a deep scowl against his will. He didn't know how much more he could take, for his limit was near.

"Do you have any questions?" Kabo asked both fighters.

"No." said Yuka.

"Hurry up and get it started." snarled Rustyrose and shifted his eyes onto his opponent.

"Very well. Let the match begin!"

The bells have once again been rung and with that, Kabo left the scene to let the fighters engage one another.

Yuka pulled his hands out of his sleeves and readied his stance to attack first – he didn't know anything about his opponent, and he sure as hell didn't want to find anything out. The sooner he could end this, the better.

Before he could take even a single step forward, however, Rustyrose has, much to the shock of literally everyone in the arena, bent his knees and tapped the ground three times in a row.

The entire arena went silent, too confused and shocked to react properly.

Kabo blinked slowly, his eyes wide open, before getting his act back together. "R-Rustyrose has surrendered! The match is over! Yuka is the winner!" he announced, still confused and unsure what he'd just witnessed.

The crowd has started to boo, quite possibly louder than they did for Fairy Tail at the beginning of the day.

"What the hell was that?!"

"What are you, some chicken?! Fight like a man!"

"What do you think we came here for?!"

"It appears the crowd is just as confused as we are!" Lola said nervously into his microphone. "An immediate surrender! We have never seen anything like that before!"

"I think the most lost person here is Yuka." said softly Yajima.

As the elder said, Lamia Scale's mage lowered his hands, utterly lost. Rustyrose simply adjusted his glasses and turned around, his hands in his pockets, ready to leave.

Confusion giving in to anger, Yuka clenched his fists. "Are you messing with me?! What was that?!"

Rusty stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What? Are you too dull to comprehend what just happened?" he asked mockingly. "I give up. You won. Enjoy, tell your friends. I don't care." he said and resumed walking, leaving Yuka feeling humiliated and frustrated.

"That dirty bastard..." snarled Lyon. "Are they messing with us?" he asked and looked at Raven Tail B's team.

"There must be some deeper meaning behind this." said wisely Jura, although he did not sound fully convinced.

As Rustyrose made his way through the arena, he threw Ivan one more hateful look, the hands in his pockets turning into fists.

"I won't let you have your way any longer." he growled under his nose. "I have to thank Zancrow, though. His brute attitude lowered the risk significantly..." he muttered and vanished in the darkness of the exit.

"Man, this must suck." said Gray with empathy. "That was a dick move."

"He didn't look interested in Hidden either." noted Erza while holding her chin. "What is their purpose? Are they interested only in us?"

"I was in the same event as him and he never even came near me, I had to find him myself." pointed out Gray.

"Well, he is just one person." pondered Lucy. "The rest of his team might be different."

"W-Well, now that the third match is behind us, let us get to the last match of the day!" Lola tried to apprehend the irritated crowd.

"One could call this match up as written in the cards." said Yajima.

"Well, here we go." Gray cracked his knuckles and turned to the screen.

So did the rest of his team, as well as guild. Both Fairy Tail and Raven Tail kept their eyes focused on the screen, various thoughts racing through their minds.

"To think we'd meet this early..." gulped Juvia. The pressure was getting to her.

"I don't think there's much we will have to worry about." said Lisanna with a smile and pointed at their team. "They don't look like they're getting it get to their heads."

"I wish it was my turn already." said Mira with a sinister smirk. She could barely contain her willingness to fight the enemy guild.

After what felt like eternity, the letters on the screen have finally settled and announced the last battle of day one.

 **Lucy Heartfillia, Fairy Tail**

 **vs.**

 **Ellia, Raven Tail A**

Albert whistled loudly.

"Oh boy." Svenar chuckled nervously.

Ellia loudly breathed out through her nose and leaned over the railing so much her upper body has started to fall off the balcony. The girl flipped in the air and gracefully landed on the ground of the arena, her magic canceling out her landing.

"And there it is, the finaly match of the day!" announced Lola. "Looks like Ellia can hardly wait to start!"

The crowd was divided, half of it cheering for Raven Tail and the other jeering for Fairy Tail.

Lucy felt sweat run down her temple. With a shaking hand, she made a fist and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"It's that chick." remembered Gray with a grimace. "This is gonna be tough." he told the blonde.

"I know." she said shortly and rougher than she intended to.

Erza put her hand on the blonde's shoulder, startling her a little. "You can do this." she told her softly. "You've been training for this moment. Give it your best and let them all know what you're worth."

Lucy nodded but did not say anything. She looked to the side and smirked. "Any advice?" she asked Natsu.

"Yeah." he told her. "Mind your surroundings. Don't let her get out of your sight."

"Will try."

Lucy took one more deep breath and slapped her face to put some fighting spirit into her veins. "all right! Let's do this!"

"Good luck!" told her Wendy.

Lucy tousled the girl's hair with a smile and walked down the stairs to join Ellia in the arena. The girl was already getting impatient and continued to stretch next to Kabo.

"Two guilds with a lot of unseen by mere bystanders history between them, this will surely turn out to be an emotional match!" said Lola.

"This could easily turn into something very unpleasant to the eye." said Yajima.

"We could call this girl's fashion sense as such." threw in Jenny.

The two women met at the center of the arena, the referee in-between them. Although Ellia was much shorter than Lucy, she made up for it in pressure, her piercing gaze trying to drill a hole in Lucy's face. After explaining the rules and telling both fighters to back up and make some space, Kabo breathed out gently - he did not feel comfortable being there at the moment.

Ellia hardened her foot and stomped the ground underneath her so hard it broke into pieces, the biggest of them flipping behind her at a 90 degree angle.

"Hurry up and start this." she told to Kabo, her tone stripped of any emotions.

Lucy gulped and undid the button on her key holster, sweat dripping down her chin to the ground. "Let's do this!" she told herself.

As soon as Kabo's hand pierced the air, the bells have rung for the last time this day. Without even giving the referee a chance to back away, Ellia turned the rock behind her into rubber and used it to launch herself forward, immediately closing the gap between her and Lucy.

The blonde, shocked at the speed Ellia cut through the distance with, could not even pull out a single key out of her holster. Ellia raised her right leg and kicked Lucy in the abdomen, effectively knocking the wind out of the girl's body and blowing her back.

"Looks like the first hit belongs to Ellia!" commented Lola. "She somehow managed to catch Lucy off guard a few seconds into the match!"

"She used the ground she broke before the match to increase her speed." explained Yajima. "Looks like she had planned out her attack way before the fight begun."

Ellia clicked her tongue in irritation and put her leg back on the ground. The hit was not clean.

Lucy put down the arm she raised just in time to guard the kick with and shook it with a groan.

"Man, that hurt!" she moaned. "Even with my arm up I could still feel it in my stomach! If I hadn't done that physical training I would have been out by now...I never thought I'd say this, but I'll have to thank Cana later." she noted to herself and pulled out a key.

"What the hell are you blabbing back there?!" shouted Ellia and pulled out a few pieces of plain material out of her pocket.

"Lucy, be careful!" Gray yelled to her from the stands.

"I know." said the blonde through her teeth, greatly prolonging the last syllable. She remembered way too well what this girl could do with plain cloths.

Ellia retracted her arm and released a barrage of knives made out of material. Although their speed was great, Lucy had just enough time to jump out of their way.

"Think again, bimbo." growled Ellia.

All of a sudden Lucy lost her speed, which resulted in two of the knives finding their way into her left shoulder and forearm.

The girl yelped in pain and clutched her wounded arm, which, much to her confusion, weighed much more than it was supposed to. Upon touching it to inspect it she noticed that her blouse, specifically on the spot Ellia's foot was on just a moment ago, was rock hard.

"Lucy!" Cana called out to her friend from the balcony.

"Why did she slow down like that?" asked Lisanna. "She just stopped in the middle of jumping away!"

"Something tells me she didn't plan on doing that." said Mira.

Gray slammed his fists into the railing, breaking it even further. "Damn it! She's gotten even better!" he cursed.

Without giving Lucy any time to recollect herself, Ellia rushed forward, this time with no assistance from her magic, and successfully closed the distance. The blonde's eyes were covered by her bangs, her expression unreadable.

"There's more to come for you, blondie!" said Ellia and retracted her right arm back to strike Lucy with her sleeve, which was sharpened into a blade.

Ellia's plan was interrupted by a fist connecting with her face, courtesy of Capricorn, who has managed to counter the girl with a swift right hook.

 _Where the hell did he come from?!_ Was all Ellia could think of before being pushed away by the force of the strike.

"Counter! Lucy stops Ellia's charge with a swift counter from her spirit!" Lola said, excited.

"Not every day does one get to witness one of the Twelve Spirits of Zodiac in action." said Yajima with a smile. "Celestial Wizards are not that common to find, either."

"Well done, Capricorn!" praised him Lucy and pulled the cloths out of her body, her blouse changing color from dark blue into crimson from all the blood. She then gripped her left sleeve with her teeth and ripped it off, letting it slide to the ground with a loud thud.

"Much better!" Lucy sighed in relief and focused back on Ellia. "You did it when you kicked me, right? You changed my clothes into cement." she asked the girl. "You waited with changing it until I had to dodge so that you'd throw me off and land a hit."

Ellia spat to the side. "You've picked up on that?" she asked mockingly. "Impressive."

Lucy frowned. "Look, I've told you already, if you have a problem, then-"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" snarled Ellia and reached into her pockets. She pulled out a lot of metal screws and bolts, which she then threw up in the air. The screws scattered over the area and, with Ellia's clap, they changed into something much heavier. The bolts dropped back to the ground with enough force to crack it, many pieces sticking out just like her original launchpad did.

"Oh boy..." gasped Lucy and put her hand back on her holster.

The dirty blonde cracked her neck and bounced off the rock behind her, cutting through the distance in an instance.

"Capricorn!" called out Lucy and, as ordered, the spirit attempted to knock the girl down with a kick, which she dodged by turning the ground beneath her feet into rubber and effectively jumping over Lucy.

While in the air, Ellia pulled out even more cloths and hardened them, but before she could even throw it Lucy pulled her whip out and wrapped it around Ellia, which stopped her attack.

Lucy gripped the whip as hard as she could and pulled down, causing the shorter girl to crash into the ground with a gasp.

"Do it now!" ordered Lucy to Capricorn, who nodded and dashed forward to knock the immobilized Ellia out.

The girl scowled and jumped back to her feet. She flexed her body and broke out of the bonds thanks to her sharp sleeves, Lucy's whip shredding into pieces, much to her dismay. Capricorn did not stop his charge, however, and delivered a roundhouse kick with his right leg, which Ellia blocked with her right arm, her suit turning as hard as steel.

"She is much stronger than she looks." noted Erza.

"Piss off." said Ellia and tripped the spirit, which caused him to fall to the ground and bounce off of it like a ball. Ellia picked up her previously dropped pieces of cloth and threw them at the goat, who could not dodge them in time and absorbed them all.

"Capricorn!" Lucy called out to her spirit, who clicked his tongue.

"I was careless...I apologize, Miss Lucy..." he said before disappearing.

"Oh! It looks like Lucy has lost her spirit!" noted Lola.

"Celestial Spirits do not die. They are forced to retreat to their realm if they take too much damage, or if their host can no longer support their stay in our world." explained calmly Yajima. "It appears Capricorn has reached his limit."

"This girl is strong." Erza bit her nail. "She is aware of her surroundings and can make good decisions on a whim."

"It's not like Lucy is dumb, either." assured her Gray. "She will find a way around it."

"Looks like Ellia is still playing around." chuckled Svenar. "This poor chick doesn't know what she's in for."

"She is not." said Emilia. "She has been taking this seriously since the beginning."

"Well, the chick is still standing, so obviously not." said Svenar.

"She is pushing the inevitable away, but she is still serious about this. She is waiting for something."

With regained composure, Lucy reached down to her holster and wrapped her fingers on Loke's key. Before she could pull it out, however, Ellia closed the distance once again and kicked Lucy in the stomach, this time cleanly.

The blonde cried out in pain and was pushed back. With no plans of giving her a chance to recover, Ellia bounced off the broken piece of the ground once again and circled around Lucy, catching her with a knee to her lower back just before her momentum stopped. Lucy gasped in agony, the strike forcing her to straighten her back.

"Lucy!" called out Cana. "This is bad!"

Ellia grabbed a handful of Lucy's hair and threw her to the ground, before kicking her in the ribcage one more time. Lucy cried out once again and rolled on the ground, with no followups to come this time.

"The battle has turned into a onesided beatdown!" noted Lola. "Ellia is not giving Lucy any time to fight back!"

"Perhaps a surrender would be wise in this situation." said quietly Yajima.

Lucy's eyes went wide open at the elder's suggestion. Pushing through the pain, the blonde managed to get back on her feet, even if unable to stand straight due to the pain in her torso.

"I'd take the old man's advice if I were you." Ellia told the blonde. "I am generous enough to give you this one last chance to give up. Take it, or be prepared for very eventful 30 minutes."

Lucy grit her teeth, no longer able to suppress her emotions. "What the hell do you want from me?!" she asked, completely fed up. "You said yourself we've never even met! Why are you so fixated on me?!"

"I said _we_ have never met before." replied the dirty blonde, putting more strength on the third word. "I did, however, meet your father. More times than I'd like to."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "My father?" she asked in mild confusion. "What does my father have to do with this?"

Ellia snapped. "Everything!" she roared, her dam reaching its breaking point. "He ruined the lives of my family, he stole them from me!"

"What?" Lucy's eyes widened.

"There it is." smirked Svenar and rested his head on his hand, clearly amused by the show.

"My family used to run a small establishment near Acalypha Town." Ellia started to explain. "We weren't drowning in money like you did, but we were happy. One day a man came by to make us an offer of selling it to someone, who needed our land for their own needs. My father refused, because the grounds belonged to our family for generations. That's where it all started."

Lucy has managed to completely recover from her damage by now. She straightened her posture and clutched Loke's key in her hand tight, ready to use it whenever she had to.

"Looks like they're just talking now." said Gray. "Can you make anything out of it?" he asked the Dragon Slayer.

"Yeah." said shortly Natsu.

"The fight has come to a standstill! Both fighters have engaged in conversation, rather than combat!" said Lola.

The crowd was not too fond of this turn of events either, as they boo'd and whined. Neither of the girls cared, however.

"Our sales have gone down and our cargo would randomly go missing while on the road." Ellia continued her story, her eyes stuck to her feet. "I had no idea why it was happening, but my parents were well aware. We'd get daily visits from different people, whom I now know were lawyers trying to blackmail my parents into selling the land. After a few months of harassment we could no longer sustain ourselves, our business was dying. My father broke and signed the papers. That's when I met your father, Jude Heartfillia, who came to our home personally to examine it. Do you know what he said when looked around for just a second?"

"No." replied truthfully Lucy.

Ellia bared her grit teeth. "He said that if he knew he was buying such a dump, he'd never go through the trouble from the beginning." she hissed.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that does sound like him." she said grimly.

"Since we were doing poorly, he lowered the price to a laughable amount. With nowhere to go, we ended up on the streets, struggling to live. We slept in bushes, caves, barns, which would result in my father being beaten down by farmers, who did not take to us kindly. We had to scavenge to have something to eat, my mother would often get sick because she would be the first to try unknown to her berries, just so I wouldn't get sick."

Ellia snapped her eyes back to Lucy. "This is what our life looked like for a year, while your father leveled our house to the ground and built a factory he got bored of a few months later." she hissed with a voice so poisonous Lucy could feel her blood freeze.

The blonde didn't know what to say. "I...I, uh..." she stuttered.

"Do not interrupt me, bimbo. I'm not done yet." snarled the short girl. "One day some shoeshiner in Magnolia took pity on my father and gave him a job. We lived in his basement while my father worked day and night to get as much money as he could. After a few months, we finally had enough to rent a small, one room apartment in Magnolia. It wasn't much, but we could finally call it home, after so much time spent in the wild. My parents were finally happy..."

Ellia could no longer contain her tears, her aggressive attitude breaking. She was now sobbing. "We were happy up until a giant piece of a building fell on our apartment and crushed my parents to death when they were looking out the window to see what the commotion was about. They told me to stay away, just in case, and a few seconds later they were nothing but squished puddles of blood underneath a piece of a wall, the front wall of your guildhall, the guildhall that was destroyed during your war with Phantom Lord. War caused by none other than you and your father!"

Lucy's face paled in terror. Not just her. Gajeel felt cold sweat run down his face, memories he wished he could get rid of resurfacing with full strength.

"Is something wrong, Gajeel?" asked him Levy. "You look pale."

The man grabbed her hand firmly and shook his head gently without any audible response.

"When I found out whose fault it was I swore on my parent's life, that I would have my revenge on that man!" Ellia roared at Lucy. "That was my sole purpose of living, to be able to get my hands on this corrupt, disgusting, emotionless man and make him pay! But guess what, I can no longer do that! My only chance was stolen form me just when I was one step away from using it!"

"What?" asked weakly Lucy, sweat running down her face. "What do you mean?"

Ellia's face softened. "Oh, you didn't know, did you?" she asked, forgetting her hostile tone for just a moment. "Now that's just precious...Jude Heartfillia is dead, blondie. He died a few months ago of natural causes."

Wendy grasped her mouth in shock, much to Erza and Gray's confusion. Even Natsu frowned worriedly, which only fueled Erza's bad feeling.

"Oh boy..." sighed Laxus, which earned him a curious look from Mira.

Lucy blinked slowly, utterly lost. "What?" she asked weakly.

"Can you believe that? After ruining so many lives the bastard actually died in peace." Ellia was now laughing hysterically.

Lucy's eyes, even though wide open, did not see anything. Even Ellia's voice sounded muffled, as if she was speaking to her through a wall.

"And now that he's dead, the only person who can pay me back is you!" shouted Ellia and sharpened her sleeves into blades. "That's why I despise you, bimbo! You are obviously the only thing this piece of shit has ever cared about, since he started a war to get you back! So I'm just going to make your life living hell, before I take it in his stead!"

"This is bad." said quietly Natsu and leaned over the railing. "Lucy, give up! Surrender, tap the ground!" he roared on top of his lungs, much to the shock of his entire guild and the crowd.

Ellia bent her knees and dashed at Lucy, this time with no assistance from her magic. The blonde's face was unreadable, bangs covering her eyes. All of a sudden, she grit her teeth so hard she gently cracked her upper right fang and pulled what remained of her whip out. The whip cut through the air and wrapped itself around shocked Ellia, who didn't cut it in time. Lucy pulled the girl closer to herself and cleanly kicked her in the stomach, returning the favor.

Ellia gasped and slid back on the balls of her feet, released from Lucy's whip.

"Y-You bitch!" wheezed out Ellia and readied another attack.

"I am well aware just what kind of a person my father was." Lucy told her firmly. Her voice, although audible, was shaking and choked. "I know that better than anyone. He did many horrible things that ruined many lives of good people. But I am not him!" she shouted. "He never cared for me as much as you think he did! He went against everything I stood for and spat on it! He was a horrible human being, but just because I am his daughter it does not give you the right to take it out on me instead!"

"What did you say?!" bellowed Ellia and dashed forward once again.

"I will take whatever you throw at me, but don't expect me to just stand here and take it!" shouted Lucy and swung Loke's key to the side. "I will fight for the sake of my friends! I will fight for myself, so you should do the same! The man who ruined your life is dead, no matter what you do will change that!"

"Shut your mouth!" roared Ellia and retracted her arm to strike.

Just like in the beginning of the match, she was countered by Lucy's spirit, courtesy of Loke, who punched the girl in the face.

"It's not my style to hurt ladies, but if it's for my Master, then I'll do what I must." said the spirit.

Ellia spat some blood to the side and turned to Loke with fury in her eyes. He barely managed to lean back and keep his head on his shoulder after the girl tried to kick him with her sharpened pants. He did not, however, manage to avoid a punch delivered by Ellia's hardened glove, which made the spirit dizzy.

Having figured out he needs to take a breath and recompose himself, Loke raised his hands and blasted Ellia away with his Regulus energy, which, although did not cause much damage, has successfully pushed her away. Both Loke and Lucy used this chance to jump back and try to think of a plan.

"I have an idea." said Lucy and put her whip in her left hand while reaching out to her holster. "But you will have to distract her."

Loke smiled. "Will do. But it looks like you'll have to act fast." he added and stepped in to meet charging Ellia before she could reach Lucy.

The girl took a swing and threw a massive rock, which, at the moment of the throw, was made out of cotton. Loke dodged it and let it cut through the air, now back to its original state. Ellia threw two more rocks, also dodged by Loke, and stepped in to confront the spirit in close combat.

As the two engaged each other in hand-to-hand, Lucy circled around them and managed to get behind Ellia. Having noticed it, the girl successfully kicked Loke in the stomach and pushed him back. The spirit, fully aware he wouldn't be able to protect his Master in time, lit up his fist and sent his energy into the ground, breaking it and causing a giant cloud of dust to erupt beneath their feet.

"That was a smart decision, even if a double edged one." praised Yajima. "Ellia won't be able to easily attack Lucy and her spirit, and vice versa. This allows both parties to recollect their strategy."

"You wish!" roared Ellia and jumped out of the dust. Just as she expected, Lucy tried to sneak attack her. Exposed, the blonde grimaced and tried to jump away, but Ellia was faster. She threw her last remaining sharpened cloths, all of them plunging themselves in Lucy's body, and stepped in to deliver a devastating punch to the blonde's stomach, effectively stealing her stamina.

Lucy doubled over and wheezed out in agony, Ellia's fist still drilling her abdomen.

"This isn't over yet." she said quietly.

"No, it's not." said Lucy and grabbed Ellia's arm so hard the girl yelped in pain. The Celestial Mage raised her head and grinned at Ellia, her face filling the dirty blonde with terror.

"Now it's our turn!" said 'Lucy'. Her eyes and mouth did not look human.

Before Ellia could express her shock she felt something wrapping itself around her neck. The real Lucy emerged out of the dust cloud, the whip that was wrapped around Ellia's neck in the tight grip of her right hand.

"What the-?!" gasped Ellia, utterly lost.

"Well done, Gemini!" praised Lucy and pulled on the whip harder, as Loke ran right past her straight at Ellia.

Gemini, still posing as Lucy, have loosened the grip on Ellia's hand and retracted their right arm back. Both spirits have delivered devastating blows to the girl's stomach and back, as they struck at the same time with great precision. Ellia coughed up blood and wheezed out in pain.

"What a devastating strategy! Ellia is completely at Lucy's mercy! What an amazing use of her spirits!" shouted excited Lola.

"That's it!" roared Cana and waved her arms around. "That's my girl!"

"That strategy..." muttered Juvia after recognizing this pattern from a battle they shared a long time ago.

"Damn, she's really going for it..." said Gray with a small note of fear in his voice. "I think I'm gonna stop messing with her for a bit..."

"That looked nasty." grimaced Svenar.

"Come on, Ellia, get a hold of yourself! You're better than that!"Albert cheered on top of his lungs.

Now it was Ellia's turn to buckle over, however, unlike Gemini, she did not stay that way for long. With pure hatred in her eyes she reached down to her pocket and pulled a bolt out, which she then threw at Lucy with incredible speed.

Unable to dodge, Lucy was hit in her right leg, the bolt clearly changed into something far deadlier while in the air, as the blonde cried out in pain upon feeling her bone crack upon impact.

"Lucy!" Loke called out to her.

That move cost him dearly, for Ellia raised her right arm and stabbed him in the neck with her sleeve, effectively forcing him to go back to his world. With Loke out of the picture, Ellia grabbed the whip still wrapped around her neck and pulled on it, causing Lucy to lose her footing due to her damaged leg and fall to the ground.

Gemini tried to back away but could not avoid the devastating kick to their neck, which caused them to drop out of their imitation of Lucy and then vanish from this world as well.

"And just like that we have ourselves a comeback!" Lola stood up from his chair. "Ellia has once again gained control of this battle!"

Ellia freed herself from the whip and cut it into pieces again, this time making sure it would never be used again, at least not from long distance.

Lucy grit her teeth and tried to stand up, only to fail and drop back to the ground. With Ellia charging at her again, she pulled a key out and summoned Scorpio, who blasted Ellia away with his sand.

The girl groaned from the impact and many scratches on her skin, but did not back down. Once Scorpio's attack was done, she threw a massive rock high in the air and then bounced off the ground, successfully avoiding another sandstorm. While in the air, she planted her feet on the falling rock and bounced off of it like a bullet. Scorpio had no chance against Ellia's speed and disappeared in thin air with his throat slashed.

With Lucy right in front of her on the ground, Ellia took a deep breath and took a swing to punch the downed blonde. In response, Lucy grabbed her the remains of her whip with both of her hands and wrapped it around Ellia's hand just before it could reach her, successfully stopping the punch.

Ellia blinked in shock and soon felt her head fly upwards, as Lucy kicked her under the chin from the ground with her healthy leg. She then flipped back on the ground and pulled out a new key, Taurus appearing between the women.

Having already recovered, Ellia looked up at the angry bull and sidestepped out of the way of his axe, which split the ground where she stood just a moment ago. Right when she was about to counterattack, Lucy wrapped her whip around Ellia's right ankle and pulled as hard as she could, effectively tripping the girl. Ellia fell to the ground and watched in horror as Taurus lifted his axe high in the air and swung it down at her. She quickly hardened her boots and lifted her free leg up to block the strike.

Even though he used the blunt side of his axe, the force was so great Ellia could not help but yelp in pain. As she struggled to prevent being crushed into a pulp, she picked up a small rock with her left hand and threw it at Lucy, who, although blocked it, has developed yet another fracture, this time on her left forearm.

"Miss Lucy!" called worried Taurus and took his eyes off Ellia, who used this chance to get out of the way of his axe and cut his left leg so bad he collapsed to his knees.

With her path to Lucy out in the open, Ellia ran right past the spirit and pinned Lucy down to the ground with a kick to her chest. The Celestial Mage cried out in pain as Ellia drilled her heel into her sternum.

"I told you I would make your life a living hell!" she repeated and threw another rock at Lucy's right arm, damaging it as well.

"It's over." said grimly Laxus to his guild, Lucy's screams of agony echoing across the now quiet arena.

"No, it's not!" said outraged Cana. "She's still fighting!"

"She has just one leg, though." pointed out quietly Mirajane.

"Wendy, get ready to jump down there." Erza told the small Dragon Slayer back in their team stands.

"Damn it..." growled Gray in frustration.

Natsu did not say a word. Instead, he watched the fight with a gentle scowl on his face, his fists clenching into fists.

Ellia lifted her leg up and smashed it into Lucy's right arm, making her scream even louder.

"This is getting too extreme..." said one of the spectators.

"Shouldn't someone do something by now?!" said someone else in an outrage.

"Referee, stop the fight!" yelled an elderly woman.

"T-The previously exciting battle has now turned into a very gruesome act of violence." stuttered nervously Lola. "Perhaps it would be for the best to stop the match?"

Yajima did not say a word. Instead, he watched the torture with a deep scowl on his face that scared his fellow commentators.

Kabo, who has agreed with the protests, moved in to stop the match, however, just when he was about to put an end to it, Lucy grabbed Ellia's leg wih her right, damaged arm, and held it still while Taurus delivered a powerful strike to Raven Tail member's back.

Ellia rolled on the ground after taking the full strength of the blow and dug her nails into the ground to kill her momentum. She quickly got back to her feet, which turned out to be a mistake after being hit by extreme dizziness. This attack, however, was the last action caused by the spirit, who was already gone.

"Lucy counterattacks! She has not said her final word just yet!" said Lola with relief.

"This match should still be put an end to, no matter what." said harshly Yajima.

Lucy yelped in pain but managed to get on her feet, her right leg bent at a very awkward angle. Her eyes were half open, both from pain and low reserves of magic. Regardless she kept her eyes focused just on Ellia, who was now back on her feet as well.

Although not as damaged as Lucy, she was far from healthy. The multiple blows to her face have caused swelling, blood dripping down her chin from her cut mouth. Her back was bruised and the skin underneath her clothes was torn and scratched in many places.

"You're still going to try?" Ellia asked Lucy. She dropped her vicious tone for the first time in a while. "I'm not going to stop until they either throw me off of you or the time runs out, you do realise that?"

Lucy clenched her fist. "I know." she said weakly. "But I intend to keep my word. You clearly have a reason to fight, and so do I. I will respect your feelings and take them head on, because you deserve that after everything you've been through."

"You mocking me?" asked Ellia.

"Far from it."

Lucy pulled out a new key and weakly raised it in the air. "Open up...Gate...of..."

Those were the last words she muttered before her eyes went misty and she fell onto her face, completely exhausted, both mentally and physically.

"Lucy is down!" called Lola. "Can she get back to her feet?!"

Kabo rushed to the blonde's side and examined her for a second, before raising his hands and crossing them above his head. "Lucy is not responding! Winner by TKO, Raven Tail A's Ellia!"

The bells have rung once again to signalize the end of the match. Fairy Tail watched the unconscious blonde with sad eyes.

"In the end, it is Ellia who prevails in this match! What an exciting, although scary match that was!"

"I think it should have been stopped much earlier." added Yajima.

"I have to agree." threw in Jenny. "It just wasn't pretty by the end."

"I wholeheartedly agree! However, we can not deny the amazing performance we have witnessed today! Raven Tail A scores a flawless performance on the fist day of the Games, with 20 points to their name!" said Lola. "Ladies and gentlemen, this marks the end of the first day! Please, take one last look at today's scores! I am Chapati Lola and I will see you tomorrow!"

 **Raven Tail A: 20 points**

 **Sabertooth: 18 points**

 **Lamia Scale: 16 points**

 **Blue Pegasus: 13 points**

 **Fairy Tail: 4 points**

 **Mermaid Heel: 2 points**

 **Quatro Cerberus: 1 point**

 **Raven Tail B: 0 points**

"Man, that was some...unique fight." one of the spectators scratched his head.

"Yeah! I don't even like Fairy Tail, but that chick did really good out there! I think I'm gonna give them a chance tomorrow!" said another one.

"Yeah, me too!"

"We're going down there." Erza said to Gray and turned to stairs. "Wendy, come with-"

The redhead felt her eyes get bigger at the sight of Wendy being picked up by Natsu, followed by both of them jumping down from the balcony onto the arena. The Dragon Slayer carried Wendy to Lucy and put her down so that she could do her job. Erza and Gray, once over their shock, joined them a moment later.

As they walked down the stairs, they have both come to conclusion, that the fight they have just witnessed proved a lot more than one could tell. They were not fighting just to reclaim what they've lost, what was taken away from them. They were fighting those, who had legitimate claim to hold a grudge, which fueled their actions better than any Enchantment Magic. It was both a wake up call and a terrible reminder.

A reminder, that they have never been saints some would claim them to be.

 **End of Chapter 38. To be continued in Chapter 39: Day Two: Monster Parade.**


	40. Day Two: Monster Parade

"What did you say?!"

Ultear's eyes were wide open, her pupils shrunk and shaking. She was staring at Jellal with so much intensity one could think she wanted to drill a hole in his face. A couple feet away Meredy frowned and looked back and forth at her surrogate mother and Jellal.

"What? What is it?" she asked, confused.

"Tell me this is a joke, Jellal." Ultear gulped, her voice pleading.

The man sighed gently through his nose. "I'm afraid it is not a joke." He said grimly. "I could go on and on about Rickard but he's yet to provide me with false information. It is thanks to him we could get on Tartaros' tail the way we did."

Ultear closed her eyes and plopped heavily onto a nearby rock, her face buried in her hands, her elbows pressing against her lap.

Meredy, now seriously concerned over their reactions and her own ignorance, was starting to feel unsettled.

"What's going on?" she asked Jellal, who appeared to be more likely to provide an answer. "Why do you both look so defeated?"

Jellal looked at her. "Meredy, what do you know of the Seven Commandments?" he asked the girl.

Meredy blinked. "They were a member of the Baram Alliance, one of the strongest dark guilds. They were beaten by Fairy Tail. Why?"

Jellal frowned. "Is that all you know?" he asked her.

"Yeah, why? Did I miss something important?"

Ultear sighed heavily and looked at her. "You were very young at the time, so we made sure to not tell you a few things. Regardless of who we were, you were still a child."

Meredy gulped. What's that supposed to mean?"

"They were a guild that did things so vile they were frowned upon even by other dark guilds. Every other leader of the Alliance was at war with them. They consisted of seven mages, each of them so dangerous that individually they could deal irreversible damage to anyone they opposed." said Jellal "I belonged to this guild."

"And one of them, arguably the most dangerous one out of the whole bunch, has gone missing." added Ultear with a hysteric scoff. "Poof, just like that! Gone, with no trace!" She put her face back in her hands and took a deep breath. "Are you sure that's the only one? They didn't cover anything else up?" she turned to Jellal.

"He didn't say anything else, no." The man shook his head. "The last time I have personally checked, the rest was still where they should be. His cell was the only one I could not access."

"Not the only one. You couldn't access his cell, either."

"I didn't have to. They had built a one-man prison just for him, after all. If he escaped the whole country would be on the move. No way of covering that up."

"Well, they covered you up, so there's that." scoffed Ultear.

Jellal frowned. "Calm yourself, Ultear. Your behavior is out of place, to put it lightly."

Ultear sighed and nodded. "You are right. I apologize. I let my emotions get the better of me."

"Is this person really that dangerous?" asked Meredy.

"Yes." said Ultear. "Extremely. I...As embarrassing it is to admit with Jellal around, I was really good at manipulating other people. But this man...He is in a league that I could never even hope of reaching."

"Considering the amount of time that has passed since the breakout and combining it with the fact we've yet to hear of anything on a scale suitable to the situation, I think we can take a breath for now." said Jellal. "Wherever he is, that place is quiet."

"For now." said Ultear. "Even if what you're saying is true, we still have zero clues on where to even begin."

"Perhaps I can be of help."

The trio snapped their heads, startled. Ultear quickly materialised an orb. "Show yourself!" she ordered to the voice.

A figure stepped out of the shadows with a chuckle, their hands raised mockingly in the air. "As spiteful as ever, eh, Ur?"

Meredy's eyes widened. "Rusty?" she gasped.

Rustyrose adjusted his glasses with his right bicep, his hands still in the air. The shock of seeing their old guildmate caused the girls to lower their guard.

"Hey there, Mer. You've gotten big." Rusty smiled at the igirl.

"How did you know how to find us?" asked him Jellal.

"Come, now. You should know your teammates better." smiled Rustyrose. "You were rather easy to sniff out. Don't worry, I haven't told anyone else...yet."

"Why are you here?" asked him Ultear.

"I couldn't help listening to your secret meeting, so I came out with a proposition." he said and lowered his hands out of his own will. "I might know something that'd interest you."

Ultear frowned suspiciously. "And why would we believe you? For all we know you're here to claim vengeance for our betrayal on Heart." she asked.

"We wouldn't." interrupted Jellal and took a step forward. "But that's the world we're in right now. We take what we can and take a risk with every little decision we make."

Rustyrose smiled. "Now those are the words of a true veteran." he said, his glasses gleaming in the moonlight.

* * *

People kept grimacing and throwing annoyed looks from behind their mugs at a certain group of people occupying a big chunk of the inn, their laughter and screaming spoiling their drinks.

"Hey, isn't that this guild everyone was shitting on today?" a man with crooked teeth asked his friend.

"Yeah, it is. For doing so poorly today they look rather cheerful." the friend replied and shrugged.

"Well done today my brats!" redfaced Makarov roared on top of his lungs "6th place? Who cares! From now on we are the winners!"

"Master, don't you think you had a bit too much to drink?" Lisanna asked him.

"Nonsense!" he replied and attempted to smack the girl on the butt, only to miss and hit Mira's instead.

"Well, he does have a point." said Gajeel as he watched Mirajane knock Makarov out with her fist, much to Freed and Levy's shock. "Better celebrate than whine. How's Blondie doin'?" he asked Erza.

"She's well." replied the knight. She had long changed out of her uniform into her usual attire of a white shirt and a blue skirt, her red wristbands dosing her wrists." Her treatment was being finished when we were leaving. She should be back soon."

"If she can't go tomorrow, then I will." said the Dragon Slayer and ate the spoon Levy was using to eat her cake with.

"Aren't you the opportunistic one?" scoffed Gray.

Gajeel frowned at the accusation. "It's not even that. You had at least 2 guilds on your ass, one with two teams. That's 3 people tryin' to get a piece of yer ass wherever you go. It's how Laxus said: old man's plan failed. Should have started strong from the start."

Now it was Erza's turn to frown. "Lucy did a great job today. So did Gray." she defended her friend.

"Yeah, she kicked ass." nodded Gajeel, completely disregarding Gray on purpose. "But that Raven chick kicked even more ass."

Erza could not argue further even if she wanted to.

Levy came back after reprimending Mira and putting a cold towel on unconscious Makarov, and looked at her unfinished plate of cake. "Huh? Where's my..." realisation kicking in, the girl scowled. "Gajeel, where is my spoon?"

As Gajeel was now the one being scolded, Erza and Gray excused themselves away from the table.

"He's right, though." admitted Gray on the way back to their original table. "We've got at least 3 enemies now."

"We've always had 7 of them." corrected him Erza. "it just so happens some of them want go hurt us more than the others."

"Can't argue with that."

As the two sat down by the table, Natsu lowered his mug.

"All good?" he asked them.  
"Yeah. Just Gramps being himself." Gray shook his head.

"Let him. It's been a while since we could sit like this without trouble." Erza smiled.

"How's Lucy?" Carla asked from Wendy's lap.

"She should be here soon." said Erza and looked around the inn.

"Speak of the devil." smiled Gray and stood away from the table.

Lucy has entered the inn, back in her casual clothes, her uniform packed in the bag that hung over her shoulder. She was covered in bandages and bandaids but she looked relatively well, although she had a limp.

The guild acknowledged her arrival with excitement and soon swarmed her with congratulations of hard work and words of encouragement.

"You were awesome!" gasped Lisanna.

"That was a solid display of your spirits." nodded Freed.

"You may have lost but you were the better man down there!" Elfman gave his thumbs up.

Lucy chuckled nervously and thanked everyone with awkward bows.

"All right, all right, let her sit down in peace!" Gray pushed through the crowd. "She's had a tough day!"

"Lucy!" someone roared suddenly. It was Makarov, who had a sudden spark of consciousness and sat up straight from the bar counter he was resting on, his towel falling off his forehead. "Well done." he said before his lights went off again and plopped back onto his back.

The blonde laughed nervously and cut through the crowd to sit by her team's table.

"What's up with Master?" she asked and put her bag on the floor.

"Perving. Mira." Gray sipped his drink.

"Understandable."

"How are you feeling?" Wendy asked with concern.

"I...I'm not sure." sighed Lucy with a faint smile. "Hard to tell."

"If there is any pain left I could-"

"No, I'm fine. But thank you." Lucy smiled. "Although they did tell me to sit at least one day out, so I guess that's it for me." she added and drank from Erza's mug.

The redhead frowned gently. "If you wish to talk, we will gladly listen." she said.

Lucy shook her head. "I don't really have anything to talk about, but thanks." she said and gave the redhead her mug back. "I'll go get my own. Excuse me..."

Lucy left the table and headed for the counter. Gray scooped over on the bench. "Yeah, no. She's not okay." he stated.

"She almost never drinks." pointed out Natsu. "The thing I ordered for you was the strongest they had." he told Erza.

"I believe that." she replied, a little redfaced. "She didn't even grimace and went to get more..."

"She lost a bet." Natsu told curious Gray, who nodded in acknowledgment with no further questions.

"Well, we can't blame her for avoiding the topic." said Carla. "That must have been the longest 15 minutes of her life."

"Holding it in ain't good either." sighed Gray.

"How are you doing, by the way?" asked him Erza.

Gray shrugged whilst drinking. "Fine, I guess." he breathed out. "I was pretty pissed at the time but now that I think about it not much has changed. Just one more guy to the list of people I gotta put down."

"You looked like you wanted to kill someone." said Lucy, back with a beer of her own.

"They sold you one?" frowned Erza.

Lucy shrugged. "Well, I am technically 24, so..." she said and took a swing.

"One guy? You won't go for that chick?" Natsu asked Gray, disregarding the technically illegal act that unfolded before him.

"Nope." Gray said with a smack of his lips. "I'm pretty sure she belongs to your Miss." he added and pointed at Erza with his finger.

Erza frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not like our opponents have already been set. I may very well not meet her in battle, nor an event."

"It looked like she would make sure it happens, though."

"She's surprisingly fine with being called someone's Miss." blinked Lucy.

"I wish I could relate." threw in Juvia, who was now sitting next to Wendy.

"Where did you come from?" sweatdropped Lucy.

"Hell." said Juvia and pointed with her thumb. A brawl between the two eldest Strauss siblings and the Thunder Legion has started, chairs and mugs flying everywhere.

"Why?" blinked Wendy.

"No one knows."

Erza sighed but did not take any action. It was her day off from babysitting.

"So, uh, Lucy. You sure you're okay?" Gray asked with a pinch of worry in his voice. "We're here for you, you know."

Lucy shook her head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." she said with a smile. "Just bummed out I lost. I feel like I've failed."

 _That's not why I/he asked._ thought everyone by the table but did not say a word.

"You really did look impressive." Juvia praised with a smile. "Some of your tactics felt nostalgic."

"Well, I'm not too good at coming up with stuff, so I just keep repeating myself." said sheepishly the blonde.

"I was really surprised to see you use hand-to-hand." said Erza. "Watching you felt almost weird for a moment, but it was a great decision to improve yourself in this department. A successful mage has as few weaknesses as possible." she nodded with a smile.

"Thanks." Lucy sweatdropped, unsure of whether she was complimented or insulted. "Cana made me do plenty of physical stuff. Honestly, I hated it..."

"You can tag along on our training if you want." said Natsu and threw his arm over Erza.

"I enjoy living, thanks."

"Speaking of living..." threw in Gray and put his glass down. "How are you feeling? You healed?" he asked Natsu.

Lucy and Wendy looked at him, curious as well. Erza, on the other hand, had an unreadable face.

Natsu shrugged. "I feel fine." he said. "I didn't have any problems, pain and all that."

"That's good." nodded Gray.

"Could you get me some water, please?" Erza asked Natsu out of the blue.

"Why me?" he frowned.

"Because I asked you to." this time it was the knight who frowned. "You're sitting by the edge and you're closer to the bar. Also, because I am your girlfriend. Doing nice things for your partner is an important part of a healthy relationship." she added smugly.

Natsu groaned but complied and left the table.

"What was that?" snorted Gray.

"Something about him is off." Erza said quietly as her eyes trailed on his figure to make sure he was too far away to hear her, her tone serious.

Her team frowned.

"What do you mean?" asked Wendy. "Good off or bad off?"

"I don't know." admitted Erza. "But I can tell you one thing: there was no way for us to train at full strength, because if we did, I would have died."

"What?" scoffed Gray. "How?"

"His growth was so enormous that I was unable to keep up." explained the redhead. "I did incredible progress myself but it was nothing when compared to his."

"And how would that be bad?" asked Gray with a raised eyebrow.

"How is that possible is the better question." threw in Carla. "There's no way his progress was that much bigger than everyone else's."

"It might be bad because he himself doesn't realise how strong he's become." said Erza. "As for how it happened...I have a theory. I think he was hurt for much longer than we thought he was and that put a limit on his capabilities. Upon unlocking a new container the original one was given a chance to finally heal, and when it did, it increased his strength tremendously."

Gray scratched his head. "Well, only on way to find out, I guess." he said.

Natsu came back with water, which Erza thanked him for with a smile. "I wasn't joking, by the way." he then told Lucy, much to her surprise. "You're free to tag along whenever you want."

The blonde raised her hand. "I appreciate the offer, but no, thanks. I want to take a short break for now." she said and chugged her beer down. "Well, I better go to sleep. I'm tired. Night everyone."

Before they could even protest Lucy left the table and vanished behind the door leading upstairs. She climbed half way up and stopped, her back planting against the wall. She slid down to the floor and hugged her own knees, an attempt to calm down in a shape of a deep breath escaping her lips. Shortly afterwards the door downstairs opened, followed by footsteps.

"Sup." said Cana and walked over Lucy, before sitting down next to her with a tired sigh.

"Hey." said quietly Lucy. "What are you doing here?"

Cana shrugged. "Just came to check up on you. Since I don't buy your excuses."

Lucy frowned. "I wasn't-"

"You're not fooling anyone." Cana told her sternly. "You're a shit actress, Lucy. Everyone can see you're hurt."

Silence was her answer.

"When Gildarts died I also thought I could keep it all in, just to myself." said Cana and gripped her bottle tighter. "But you managed to get through to me and helped me cope with his death. It is thanks to you I feel so much better." she smiled and poked Lucy with her elbow. "I know your old man was a different breed but losing a parent is never easy."

Lucy gripped her shoulder.

"He was a horrible man." she admitted quietly. "He hurt so many people...he hurt me, my mom...Honestly, I hated him for it. But when I heard about him, I froze and I couldn't recollect my thoughts. And now..."

Tears started to drop onto her lap, the pent up emotions breaking through the dam.

"I just can't stop crying. Why?" Lucy was now bawling her eyes out, everything she kept inside throughout the day oozing out.

Cana released a short sigh through her nose.

"You cry for those few good moments you two have had." she said. "For the future 'what if's' where you made up or caught up for the lost time. And that sucks, never making them happen. I know that pretty well. But mostly because, at the end of the day, it was still your dad. And you couldn't say goodbye."

Cana reached around and pulled Lucy in for a hug, which the sobbing blonde gave back, her nose buried in the brunette's neck.

"Let it all out, don't let anything stay there." she said softly and caressed the back of Lucy's head. "I'm here for you. Always."

The girls rocked back and forth on the floor, their hug sealed tight. Although they could be heard by certain people downstairs, no one dared to interrupt.

Natsu closed his eyes and stepped away from the door, his plans of changing into his usual clothes discarded.

"You're not going to change?" asked him Erza upon his arrival back at the table.

Natsu ignored her, a determined look in his eye. "I'm taking part tomorrow." he declared to the whole inn and sat back down, leaving them surprised.

"Well, that came out of nowhere." blinked Lisanna.

"Where did that come from?" asked Gray.

Gajeel clicked his tongue. "If you wanna play like that..." he grumbled and took a swing from his mug before getting up. "I'm-"

"I will replace Lucy."

Elfman managed to cut before Gajeel, much to his irritation. The whole guild stared at the giant, including his sisters. "I refuse to let our nane stay in the gutter. I have trained hard for this. Please grant me a chance to do my part." he pleaded to Erza, who acted as the team's captain.

The knight opened her mouth and looked at both Gajeel and Elfman, unable to form a sentence.

"I, uh..."

"Hey, big guy." Gajeel tapped him on the shoulder. "Ya kinda cut the line, y'know."

"I don't care." Elfman said and brushed Gajeel's hand off, much to his shock. "Once a man has made a decision not even a dragon can get in his way."

"Oh no." gasped Levy, along with some other members of the guild.

Gajeel inhaled through his nose and squeezed his fist tightly. He then raised his hand and gently punched Elfman in the gut, a smirk on his face.

"Fine. But if ya embarrass us, I will double what they do to you." he chuckled. "My turn will come one way or another."

Elfman nodded. "I'll take you up on that."

As the others bickered, Natsu sat back down and drank from his mug. Erza looked at him and smiled gently. No matter how hard he tried he could never hide that little twitch of his upper lip from her that indicated concern. He looked pretty upset about Lucy during the game as well.

"What?" he noticed her stare.

The redhead shook her head gently. "Nothing." she told him with a smile. "Go get them." she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, much to his embarrassment.

The door to the inn swung wide open, as a very loud man entered tnside, his drunken laugh deafening everyone in the local.

"All right, you lot! Time to make this a real party!" he roared on top of his lungs and then opened his eyes, his smile extinguished like a lightbulb. "Huh?" he groaned upon looking at all the faces staring at him. "Wait- Did I mistake the inns? Ha ha, my bad!" he laughed once again and slapped his forehead.

"Who the hell is this clown?" frowned Mirajane. Laxus, who was sitting next to her by the counter, shrugged and turned back around.

"Oh no." gasped Erza and sunk a little in her seat. "No matter what, do not bring attention to this table-"

"Well, I'll be damned!"

Erza moaned.

The man, despite his intoxicated state and how crowded the inn was, has managed to spot her from across the room and was now making his way towards her table.

"Well, the cat's out of the bag." she sighed and straightened her posture. "Hello...Bacchus."

Bacchus grinned and unnecessarily slammed his bottle of sake into the table, which made it shake so violently Wendy's juice spilled all over her lap and Carla.

"Yo, Erza!" he said, his voice towering over the already loudly complaining Exceed. "Long time no see!"

"Yes, it sure has." she admitted.

"What happened to ya? I heard you just disappeared! Poof!" he slammed the table again, which was the exact opposite of how one should physically showcase the sound he made.

"That's one way to put it." mumbled Gray under his nose as he handed Wendy a cloth to wipe her clothes with.

"Things happened." said shortly Erza. "How have you been? You look well."

"Pretty good." nodded slowly Bacchus and emptied Gray's mug, who was not paying attention at the moment. "Jobs haven't been too exciting lately, though. I started to miss ya." he smirked.

"Well, I don't suppose I'd look forward to meeting you even if I was able to." said truthfully Erza. "Seeing how the last time we saw each other you tried to kill me."

Bacchus' face has gone pale for a short moment. "I-I did? Ha ha, I don't really remember that." he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Money tends to do that to people." sighed the knight. "What brings you to Crocus? Are you taking a part in the Games?"

"That I am. A sub." nodded the man. "Warcry got pretty humiliated today, so I'm stepping in. I wanted to give the kids a chance but looks like old dogs have to take matters into their own hands."

"I see."

Bacchus' eyes trailed to Erza's right, where Natsu was sitting. He squinted and pointed his finger at the Dragon Slayer. "Hold on...I think I know you."

Erza got tense. "I think you've had too much to drink, Bacchus." she tried to persuade him out of digging any deeper, praying in her heart that Natsu didn't say a word, either.

"No, I do know you!" exclaimed the drunk and laughed. "You're that dude they put a bounty on few years back! The...Oh, what did they call you...Lizard? No, Basilisk…I know!" he punched his palm. "Salamander! I caught you in that forest outside my town! And hey, you were there as well, Erza!" he added cheerfully.

Erza sighed. "Great..."

Natsu frowned. "Do I know you?"

Bacchus' face froze. "Wha? You don't remember me?"

"Not really."

Erza was just about to summon a blade to prevent any disasters from happening, but to her shock, Bacchus merely threw his head back and laughed. "Oh boy, that's a good one!" he wiped his teary eyes. "Well, I can't really blame you, my memory's pretty shit as well, so I ain't in any place to be pissy about not being remembered by other people." he said. "I will make you remember during the Games, granted we meet each other, that is." he added with a serious, but playful tone, a gentle growl in his voice.

Natsu frowned.

"Don't you have an inn to go back to, Bacchus?" Erza tried to bait him in to leaving.

"That I do!" he exclaimed and picked his bottle up with one hand and emptied Juvia's mug with the other. "Been nice to see ya again, Erza! Hope we fight again soon!" he laughed and left the inn, much to everyone's relief.

"Well, he's something." said Gray and looked at his mug. "Damn it!" he cursed and stood up with a groan to get a refill.

"That was a rather...charismatic man." blinked Juvia.

Erza massaged the bridge of her nose. "We met each other many times on jobs, often clashed for the reward. He may be tough to handle as a person but his skill as a mage if not to be questioned. Neither of us could establish a winning streak on the other."

"That man is Erza's equal?" gasped Wendy.

"He used to. Now he is possibly even more powerful than he was back then." nodded the redhead.

Natsu gasped and snapped his head up, his eyes wide. "That was the guy that threw you into that abyss back then!" he told Erza, his memory finally catching up to him.

"What?!" Gray spat his beer out. "You never told us that you almost fell to your death!"

Erza groaned and planted her face against the table, all of her energy gone. She already knew she had quite a lot of storytelling to do before she could finally go to bed.

* * *

On the other side of the city, on a wide balcony, sat a young girl with dirty blonde hair and golden eyes. Her suit, her usual attire, was hanging in the closet of the room behind her, now replaced by blue pajamas with teddybears. She was hugging her knees, her eyes blindly staring out into the night city, thoughts racing in her head.

No matter how hard she tried, Ellia could not pinpoint the emotions coursing through her brain, the image of Lucy screaming at her with teary eyes still imprinted on her eyes whenever she closed them. She groaned and grabbed her head. No matter how much she didn't want to, she just couldn't deny that Lucy had a point. She wasn't her father, she was a person of her own.

The person she wished death upon had already been touched by it, so why was her heart still tainted with so much hatred and despair? Was it the dissatisfaction of not being the one granting it to him? Or perhaps because she didn't get to witness it?

"Damn it." Ellia clicked her tongue and burrowed her head into her knees again. She was actually starting to regret what she'd done today, what the hell was wrong with her?

"There you are." Ellia snapped her head up to see Emilia standing in the door, also in pajamas covered with a pink robe.

"Nice robe." snorted Ellia.

"Unlike the general belief, I too enjoy feminine things." Emilia motioned at Ellia's pajamas with her head and closed the door behind her.

"Fair point." sighed the girl.

Emilia sat down next to her on the cold floor and planted her back against the wall. "Is something bothering you?" she asked.

"Nope." Ellia replied on the autopilot, her voice too fake sounding to convince anyone.

"Come, now. You don't have to keep it in." Emilia insisted. "You've been down ever since your match."

Ellia frowned, which was a dead giveaway on its own. Knowing that there was no way around it, she decided to spill the beans. "I just can't get what she said to me out of my head." she admitted, anger and frustration fueling her voice. "It messed me up. I've felt lost ever since we left the arena, like I'm actually having doubts. There's a voice trying to convince me she was right, and then there's a voice telling me to make her pay even more. I just don't know what to do!" she complained and stomped the floor with her foot.

"Do you regret what you've done?" asked her Emilia.

Ellia exhaled loudly. "I don't know." she said, her voice softening up. She sunk even lower, the bottom half of her face covered by her arms and knees.

Emilia blinked. "I see." she said and looked up at the stars.

Ellia gently shifted her eyes at the older girl. "Hey..."

"What is it?"

"If you got to confront the person you hated...what would you do? How would you feel?"

Emilia looked at her, surprised. This question sounded so childish, so innocent, almost like a small child asking their older sibling about something that was far beyond them. Not that she could blame her: she was in a very vulnerable place at the moment.

"Good question." she replied after a while. "For a long time I thought my blade would do the talking for me, however, the last time I saw her, as well as watching you confront the Heartfillia girl...I no longer think that is the way." she admitted.

"Would you not fight her?" frowned Ellia.

"I most likely would." Emilia nodded slowly. "But, if given a chance, I'd like to ask her a couple things, things that have been dormant at the back of my mind, but have recently resurfaced."

Ellia sighed. "Well, I already did the fighting part..."

"And how do you feel about it? You've won."

"I did."

"Did it give you what you desired?"

Ellia squinted. "No. If anything I'm more confused than before."

Emilia smiled. "Perhaps you and her are still not done yet, then. How you want to take care of this is your own decision." she said and gently tousled Ellia's hair.

The girl groaned and knocked her hand away. "We're not kids anymore." she moaned.

"You'll always be small for me." chuckled Emilia and attempted to tickle her, only to feel her fingers being stopped by rock hard pajamas.

As the girls bickered, Albert smiled under his nose and turned to the other side in his bed. He has truly missed moments like this between his friends.

* * *

 **November 23rd, Domus Flau, Crocus**

The second game of Grand Magic Games has started as loudly as the previous one, with the crowd being rowdy and excited. The arena was filled up with people hours before the official start.

Unlike yesterday, the participating guilds have been already waiting in their designated stands, as they all tried to come up with strategies for the upcoming attractions.

"You still going through with your claim?" Elfman, who has replaced Lucy asked Natsu. "I wouldn't mind going in your stead."

"Yeah. I am." said the Dragon Slayer.

"Nervous?" Erza asked him with a cheeky smirk.

"Like hell." he admitted and took a deep breath. "But it's as you said: it's not just for me."

The knight smiled and grabbed his hand with hers to give him some more courage.

"Go wild." she told him, to which he replied with a demonic grin.

"Oh, I will."

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen!" Lola roared into his microphone, Yajima sitting by his side. This time, they were the only ones in the booth. He replaced his long-haited wig with a new one, his hair shaped like a brown helmet."Welcome to the second day of the Games! I am yours truly Chapati Lola, ready to walk you through today's attractions!"

"Good morning." Yajima greeted softly.

"Yesterday was a day full of amazing events and today appears to become a very worthy opponent!" Lola said and looked at his papers. "The event prepared for today is certainly one of a kind!"

"That's one way to put it lightly." smiled Yajima.

"As much as I'd like to talk about it, it appears time is not on my side!" Lola noticed, as Kabo has already made his way to the middle of the arena.

The mascot cleared his throat and bumped his microphone to see if it was working.

"Good morning good people of Fiore!" he exclaimed. "I hope you are prepared for the upcoming entertainment!"

Kabo clapped his hands and, just like yesterday, a giant table with two words written on it appeared in the middle of the arena.

"Today's event is called Obstacle Race!" he announced, much to the intrigued crowd.

"Race?" frowned Orga. "Boring."

"I see. A very intimidating challenge." Ichiya stroked his chin with his hand.

"Well, he did mention some obstacles..." yawned Svenar, still not interest.

"Well, guess you're running." Gray smacked Natsu across the back with his hand. "Should be easy."

"Although the name surely doesn't sound too challenging, you could not be any more wrong." Kabo smirked underneath his mask and clapped his hands once again.

The image above him changed, the name now replaced with a camera footage of a dark maze made out of tall, black, and oily stones, with some sort of beings flying above it, too far away for the camera to fully showcase their appearance.

"A maze?" squinted Elfman. "How is that a race?"

"Well, mazes could be used for a race..." pointed out Wendy. "To see who clears it first."

"Well, at least it looks cool." nodded slowly Zancrow.

"You going?" asked him Erigor.

The God Slayer shrugged. "Dunno. It looks like you'd be more fitting, with that scythe and all that."

Erigor's eyes narrowed. "Watch your mouth."

Zancrow scowled. "Huh? Or what, you gonna blow wind up my pants?"

"It is not in our destiny to battle amongst each other." Arya said with his deep voice and gently pushed the two away from one another. "Let us save this animosity for people truly worthy of our rage."

The two men scoffed and surprisingly complied.

Jellal, again in his disguise, watched the scene but made nothing out of it. He still couldn't get over what happened last night. He shortly looked over at Rustyrose, who merely met his eyes for a split second and looked away whilst adjusting his glasses.

Kabo chuckled. "You will be in grave danger if you consider this event a breeze." he warned. "What you are seeing is just the first stage of the challenge. There are four in total."

The image changed into four squares, numbered from 1 to 4, placed one after another. The first square was in the shape of the maze, while the other three had giant question marks painted on them.

"I see. The stages will be announced as the event progresses, meaning the participants are aware of just the first one." noticed Erza.

"Even if a mage is perfect for this stage, they might be at a heavy disadvantage later on." deducted Rogue. "Interesting..."

"The guilds have 60 seconds to decide who shall take a part! Start!"

As a timer appeared on the screen, the guilds have started to brainstorm.

"Well, no need to prolong this." Natsu cracked his neck and walked up to the railing.

"Good luck!" told him Wendy.

"Kick some ass, flamie." grinned Gray and punched Natsu in the arm.

"Show the what it means to be Fairy Tail!" exclaimed Elfman.

Erza smiled. "You can do this."

Natsu grinned. "Bet your ass I can." he said and jumped down.

"Oh! It appears Fairy Tail was the first to choose their representative! Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel has entered the arena!" announced Lola.

Murmurs and boos echoed across the crowd.

"Hey, isn't that the SS-rate?" asked a lady in the crowd.

"He's that criminal they kept hidden!" yelled her husband.

"He's so young...For someone with such a record..."

Natsu sighed and walked to the center of the arena, trying his best to shut his ears down.

"Oh? The Dragon Hunter is in?" noticed Zancrow and grinned. "Change of plans, death metal. I'm going!" he announced and jumped down as well.

"Raven Tail B's Zancrow follows in suit!"

"They both use Lost Magic. This should be a very interesting event." pointed out Yajima.

Natsu looked at the smirking God Slayer with calm eyes. He could see him saying something, probably taunts, but he couldn't make anything out of it.

"This one is mine." smirked Sting and jumped out of his stands.

"Nevermind, count me in." Svenar cracked his knuckles.

"I see the other guilds are not holding anything back." noticed Ichiya. "I shall go."

"Good luck, Master!" the Trimens have bowed as he left the stands with the stairs.

"Look at all these strong men..." Bacchus licked his lips. "I would be no man at all if I passed on this!" he roared and jumped down.

"This should be an interesting experience." Jura smiled under his beard and created an earth snake that brought him down to the ground.

"This is starting to shape up into a quite remarkable parade of monsters." Kagura noticed and placed her hand on Archenemy. "I shall attend it as well." she proclaimed and jumped down as well.

The six mages strolled freely toward the two Slayers standing in the center, as the crowd roared so hard the commentators could barely get a word in.

"Listen to this excitement!" Lola roared into his microphone. "It appears every guild has decided to send their ace in! We even have the fifth Wizard Saint joining in with the rest!"

"There is no denying the strength of this lineup." nodded Yajima.

"Fifth Wizard Saint?" frowned Laxus.

"It appears during our absence Jura has been promoted to the fifth spot on the list." Makarov bit the nail of his thumb. "This might get ugly."

"Well, it is Natsu, after all." sighed Lisanna. "You never know what's going to happen with him in the mix."

The participants have finally gathered together, each one of them eyeing the others up.

"Looks like my turn has come early." Sting told Natsu with a cocky smirk.

"Hey, hey, hey, hit the brakes, kid." Svenar tapped him on the shoulder. "He's mine."

"Huh? Who the hell are you?" frowned Sting, much to Svenar's irritation.

"Aight, you don't look like the sharpest type of a guy, so I'll give you this one..."

As the two argued, Natsu left the scene to have one final moment of peace before the event.

"This place reeks of testosterone." Kagura frowned the bridge of her nose as she watched Sting and Svenar go at each other's throat, as Bacchus tried to join in on the fun with a loud cackle.

"Now, there is no need to be so repulsed." laughed gently Jura. "I hear you are quite a formidable wizard, Lady Kagura. I look forward to testing my strength against you." he smiled at her.

Kagura's face relaxed. "I am curious of your abilities as well, Saint Jura."

The man bowed gently.

"Let us compete at our strongest perfum." threw in Ichiya out of nowhere.

Kagura merely shot him a quick glance and walked away without a word.

"It's that chick from Mermaid." said Gray and leaned on the railing. "I'm curious what she can do."

"No matter how you put it this is a lineup of the highest level." said Erza as she glanced at the eight faces on the screen, a drop of sweat running down her temple.

"There's a true sausage party going on down there." whistled Cana.

"Please spare us from your remarks." sweatdropped Lucy, who was standing next to her.

"I have to admit, I'm excited as hell." grinned Mirajane.

Laxus sighed in defeat. "You said it."

"Now, participants! Please enter your designated circle!" Kabo called to the mages.

Natsu stepped into his circle and took a deep breath.

Sting, who was next to him, smirked one last time.

"Good luck, 3rd rate Dragon Slayer." he taunted before his figure was taken by white light.

A second later Natsu felt strange warmth in his chest and upon opening his eyes he found himself within the maze, dark walls towering over him menacingly. The crowd could no longer be heard, replaced with uncomfortable silence.

"All participants have been scattered randomly within the maze!" Kabo explained the rules. "However, you are all equally close to the exit! You are freely permitted to use magic upon engaging an opponent. There is no time limit - the first to clear all four stages wins the event! And now, the Obstacle Race begins!"

A loud gong echoed across the maze for all to hear.

Natsu took one last deep breath before slapping his face with both hands, his eyes closed.

"All right..." he whispered to himself. "Time to get to work." he mumbled with a low growl and opened his eyes, his pupils shrunk and focused.

"And there they go!" Lola exclaimed to the crowd.

Each of the participants was already focused on the event, their eyes scouting the area for the quickest way out. Natsu and Sting, both with the same idea, have already started to put their noses to use and followed the smell that felt out of the place. It was wild and very repulsive, almost like a wet dog, only enhanced tenfold.

Svenar, on the other hand, grinned and cracked his neck. "Piece of cake." he muttered and bent his knees.

His arms have been set aflame, the flames shaping into a very beautiful set of wings. Svenar kicked the ground and flew up in the air, not willing to bother with going on foot.

"I'll be waiting for you lot at the end line." he said cockily.

All of a sudden he felt as if his head has split in two, the pain shooting down his body down to his toes. Barely conscious, Svenar fell down to the ground, his wings barely flapping in the air to prevent him from crashing like a rock into the ground.

"Oh, Raven Tail A's Svenar has tried to fly over the maze!" noticed Lola. "Unfortunately, the maze is surrounded by a skybox that prevents any out of bounds movements!"

"Dumb prick." snorted smug Mirajane.

Back in A team's stands, Emilia massaged her forehead with her fingers.

"What is this shameful display, Svenar?!" Albert roared next to her. "You're better than that! Stand up and show them your might!"

"What are you doing, shitbrain?!" Ellia yelled next to him.

"Hey, pumpkinhead, looks like you forgot to mention something." livid and still rocked Svenar snarled at the referee, who, although hasn't heard the remark, still felt chills run down his spine. "Damn it all..." he growled and started to run into the maze like the rest of his opponents, his legs a bit wobbly.

A couple blocks away Bacchus laughed out loud at Svenar's misfortune.

"Well, can't blame a man for trying!" he shook his head and ran straight ahead without any plan in his mind.

Back in the arena, the crowd and the guilds have carefully watched the competition on the screen. Each participant had a tracking device on their clothes, that allowed to pinpoint them on the map of the maze.

"Looks like Natsu and Sting are in the lead, both of them heading straight to the exit!" noticed Lola.

"They have their enhanced senses to thank for this." said Yajima. "Dragon Slayers can outperform the best of tracking animals."

"Atta boy!" cheered Makarov.

Natsu took a sharp right, each of his movements precise and confident. He was headed straight for gold.

"So far so good." smiled Erza, her arms crossed on her chest. She knew Gray could tell, but she didn't care – she had to stop them from shaking.

"On the other hand, their magic cousin Zancrow is not doing so well! He is currently going in the opposite way than he should!" said Lola, much to the crowd's entertainment. Zancrow's icon was definitely getting further and further the others, who were all on good track to exit the maze.

"Why am I not surprised..." Rustyrose massaged the bridge of his nose in embarrassment.

His Master, on the other hand, was watching the screen with a smile on his face, despite how poorly his guild was doing at the moment.

Laxus, who happened to glance at his father, scowled and squeezed his arm.

"Careful now, big boy." Mira put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. "You'll burn a hole in him."

"The irritation felt due to not knowing what's going through that thick head of his is genetic." told her Makarov. "But she's right. Focus on what's important."

Laxus looked back at the screen. "Yeah."

Back in the maze, Jura kneeled down on the ground and caressed it, before standing up and stroking his beard, before resuming his casual stroll through the streets with no pressure whatsoever.

"The vibrations in the earth are particularly strong in this direction..." he thought to himself out loud. "Interesting. I'm very curious of what challenge awaits us next." he smiled and picked up the pace by creating an earth dragon to ride on through the maze.

A couple blocks away, Sting, who was running as fast as he could toward the exit, halted and quickly turned around, his eyes scouting the area.

For the last couple of minutes he could smell someone tailing him, but could not hear a single sound. In quite a bizarre turn of events, the smell that's been following him was now, at least according to his nose, in very close proximity.

"All right, you can come out now." he said loudly and clenched his fist, which started to glow with white light. "I know you're here!"

No answer. Not that he expected one, but he was looking for any sudden movements or sounds. He didn't have any luck.

Cursing under his nose, Sting resumed to run towards the exit, the smell still in his nostrils.

Directly above him by the skybox, in the shadows of the walls resided Kagura, who chipped a piece of the ground out and used her gravity magic to alter it in a way that allowed her to float and beat the race without losing too much stamina.

 _It was a good idea to follow him._ thought Kagura and continued to float above Sting. _Luckily he's not the smartest person around here._

On a path directly next to theirs, Ichiya ran through the maze with two bottles stuffed in his nose.

"Stamina perfum!" he wheezed out with a funny voice and took a turn to the right. "Please, last until the end of this competition!" he begged and vanished in the shadows.

Zancrow, who has finally managed to realise he was headed the wrong way this entire time, grit his teeth and roared into the sky.

"Damn it all!" You mocking me, eh?!" he asked the air upon reaching yet another dead end and set his right hand ablaze, before punching the wall that was behind him.

His flames have melted a hole in the wall with such ease the man's anger faded away instantly. With a demonic grin, Zancrow joined his hands together and licked his lips.

"So that's how it is..." he whispered and unleashed a massive torrent of black flames that cut through several walls of the maze, which revealed him several new paths to choose from.

"Oh, it appears one of the participants has finally gotten impatient!" commentated Lola. "Raven Tail B's Zancrow has managed to destroy a part of the maze and is now on his way to catch up with the others!"

"I guess that's one way to do it..." sweatdropped Wendy.

Back in the maze, Bacchus noticed smoke and flames out in the distance and laughed out loud.

"So that's how we're doing this now, eh?!" he roared and delivered a palm strike to the wall, breaking it into pieces. He walked over the debris into the alley and looked to his right, shocked Ichiya watching him from a couple meters away.

"Oh, excuse me." Bacchus bowed gently and struck another wall, breaking it as well. Ichiya walked up to the hole and watched as Bacchus continued to advance forward, breaking every wall that was in front of him.

"Men..." he scratched his chin. "As brutish as this strategy is, perhaps it is the one one should go for..." he wondered and decided to follow the man from a safe distance.

One way or another all eight mages were now advancing toward the exit.

Svenar, who has recovered from his accident, was now cutting through the maze with his transformed legs. After taking a sharp right he was blinded by light coming from the end of the route.

"Finally." he grinned and increased his speed. "I messed up bad and still cleared it as first...None of you trash is anywhere near my level! None!" he cackled and stepped into the light.

Once his eyes have adjusted to the change in lighting, Svenar found himself standing before a vast, empty field. Just when he was about to summon his wings once again he looked to his right and his face has gone pale.

Next to him were Natsu, Sting, Kagura, Jura and Bacchus, all of them arriving by the field at the same time, each of them, with the exception of Kagura and Sting, arriving via a different exit.

"What the-" Sting gasped in surprise and instinctively jumped back from the others, who were just as surprised. "Damn, it reeks in here!" he moaned and, just like Natsu, covered his nose. "And where the hell did you come from?!" he asked Kagura, who simply sighed at the question.

"Now this is an interesting turn of events." said Jura and jumped down from his dragon.

"Looks like we're having ourselves a party in here!" laughed Bacchus, as Ichiya passed him in the exit upon catching up.

Back in the arena the crowd has gone wild for the sudden reunion of the mages.

"This is where things get interesting." smirked Gray.

Back in Lamia Scale's stands, Lyon leaned on the railing and smirked at the screen.

"Now that they are within Jura's distance this event is as good as over." he proclaimed with confidence.

"I never said there was only one exit!" Kabo hummed both to the crowd and the participants, excited. "Welcome to Stage 2: Minefield!" he announced and snapped his fingers.

Bacchus, who was about to run further, stopped in his tracks and took a couple steps back. "Oh boy. This is not wild." he said.

"Do not worry! The mines deal no damage! They do, however, send you back to the beginning, and by beginning, I mean the Labyrinth!" explained Kabo.

"Well that's annoying." muttered Natsu but still ran forward.

Svenar grinned and jumped high in the air, his arms transforming into wings of flames.

"This time nothing will stop me!" he laughed and pierced through the air like a bullet. "See you all at the end!"

"There is no need to be so hasty, young man."

Before Svenar could even react his vision got blurry and his consciousness desperately attempted to run away, as the hand on his neck launched him down to the ground that broke into dozens of pieces upon impact, as he landed right onto several mines that sent him back into the maze.

Jura smiled and retracted the hand he used to chop Svenar's neck with and gracefully landed back on his rock dragon, which continued to advance through the field.

"It's Saint Jura!" Lola had to scream over the crowd that went insane after the man's display of power. "He makes quick work of Raven Tail A's representative and sends him back to the very beginning of the race!"

Albert broke the railing with his punch. "What in the hell are you doing, Svenar?!" he roared on top of his lungs.

"You damn shitbrain!" Ellia yelled next to the giant. "When will you learn to watch your surroundings?!"

Lyon smirked. "This is just the beginning."

"Just how strong Is Mister Jura?!" Toby yelled next to him.

"He's strong, calm down." told him off Yuka.

Sherria blinked slowly, her eyes agape. "Wow." she gasped. "This is the first time I'm seeing Jura in action!"

"Then you better watch carefully." told her Obaba. "Jura is the most powerful human on this continent, no one can oppose his strength."

"I just got chills." said nervously Gray to his team. "Old man is not playing around."

"Now that's a man!" Elfman nodded with acknowledgement.

The display of strength made all other participants vary of just how dangerous Jura was.

Kagura lowered her rock to just a few feet above the ground and carefully watched Jura, who was in front of her. She would rather not fall behind like Svenar did.

Natsu continued to run through the field, his nose picking out the faint smell of the mines, with Sting running in his footsteps.

"What are you, a dog?" he took a shot at Saber's mage. "Quit following me!"

"How about you quit running instead!"

"I am literally running towards the end line, you moron."

"Yeah, and at the same time you're running from me!"

Rogue sighed back in Sabertooth's stands. "This obsession brings out the worst in him..." he shook his head.

Sting grinned. "I bet you have an excuse for your failure on that island as well, don't you?"

Natsu remained quiet but his teeth were grit a bit harder than usual.

"I've heard someone died that day...But I guess it's just one more to the pile for you, isn't it?" Sting continued his taunts with a cocky smirk.

Natsu raised his hand behind his back and released a massive torrent of fire. Sting lit up his fist and punched his way through the flames.

"Too bad!" he yelled.

As the Dragon Slayers bickered at the front, Bacchus, Ichiya and Jura continued to advance at their own pace, with Kagura hovering a couple meters behind them.

"So, what do we do now?" Bacchus asked the men and carefully placed his feet in footprints left by Natsu and Sting. "Do we try to knock each other into the mines, or do we get friendly until we're out of this damn place? I do have some booze on me, you know. To kill time."

"As tempting as this proposition is, I must refuse." smiled kindly Jura.

"I also must refuse!" wheezed out Ichiya. "It is still too early for men to drink!"

Bacchus clicked his tongue. "You're no fun at all..."

Suddenly the entire field was shaken by an explosion from a couple dozen meters behind. As the men turned around to check it out, they were surprised by Zancrow's figure cutting through the air like a bullet, as he used his flames to propel himself a meter above the mines.

"Salamandeeeeeer!" he roared in excitement and flew past confused Sting.

Natsu had only a split second to turn around and counter Zancrow's punch. Their combined flames formed an explosion that blew Sting away, right into the happy trio that followed him.

"Zancrow has managed to catch up! He has crossed fists with Natsu, who was in the lead!" exclaimed Lola.

"It is certainly a clash worth watching." nodded Yajima with a smile. "It is not often a person can witness two Slayers engage each other in combat."

"It's this guy." Wendy shivered.

"Calm down." Gray tousled her hair. "He's got this. Look."

The dust has settled down and revealed the aftermath.

Natsu and Zancrow's fists were still connected, their flames crashing dangerously. Sting shook the damage off with a grunt and started to run forward once again.

Bacchus grinned. "Now this guy has the right idea! Screw friendship!" he roared and attempted to kick Jura, who blocked the strike with his dragon's tail. To his surprise, the tail cracked under the weight of the strike.

Now aware that Jura was much tougher than he thought, Bacchus shifted his focus to Ichiya and struck his stomach with his right palm.

Ichiya's bottles fell out of his nose as he was launched in the air with a scream.

"Oh no! Master's stamina perfum!" lamented Eve.

Ren clenched his fist and looked into the sky. "You may have failed us, but you have done well. Rest in peace, Leader." he said, a single tear running down his cheek.

As Ichiya has miraculously landed someplace safe a couple meters away, Bacchus attempted to strike Jura once again, which turned out to be a feint. He quickly turned on his feet and threw a powerful strike at Kagura, who tried to sneak her way past the men.

The woman raised her blade and blocked the strike just before her chest, a small shockwave shaking the area.

"Well struck." she praised him, her voice a little strained.

"I try my best." he smirked in response.

Back at the front the Slayers have finally broken contact. Zancrow jumped back and then stepped back in with a right high kick, which Natsu blocked. He then knocked the leg back and landed a successful right cross on Zancrow's jaw.

The God Slayer took a step back and smirked at Natsu.

"Looks like someone did some pushups." he taunted, a very narrow trail of blood flowing down his chin from his cut mouth.

Zancrow pushed Natsu's fist away and tried to attack once again, only to be blasted with a pointblank torrent of flames that pushed him back.

He barely managed to land on an already abused spot just between three mines and shook his head, smoke trailing upwards from his clothes. He had a few mild burns that hurt his pride more than his body.

"He managed to burn me?" he whispered as he watched Natsu continue on his way ahead. "Me?!" he roared and set his body ablaze.

Before Zancrow could follow Natsu he had his head knocked into the ground by Sting's fist of light, who immediately ran past him.

"Payback!" he laughed mockingly and jumped over a couple of mines.

Kagura, Bacchus, Jura and freshly resurrected Ichiya have all ran past the downed God Slayer, who has just managed to free himself from the debris, rocked.

"The competition is fierce! Zancrow and Svenar have been left behind!" said Lola.

"The top six is in very close proximity from one another." noticed Yajima. "The lead could change very easily."

Just as he predicted, Jura's rock dragon has sped up and passed the two Dragon Slayers at the front, whilst maneuvering around the mines with pinpoint precision.

"I can sense the disturbances in the earth." he explained to his opponents. "I will see you up ahead, gentlemen."

Sting grit his teeth. "Don't get cocky!" he warned and took a deep breath.

 _ **WHITE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

A thick beam of light cut through the air next to Natsu's head at incredible speed. Jura swiftly motioned his fingers and had his dragon knock the roar aside into the ground with its tail. The impact caused an explosion that managed to dig up several mines and send them high in the air.

"Not quite good enough." he taunted gently and turned away from frustrated Sting.

The participants were now very close to the finish line. Seeing that the next stage was in sight, Jura decided to get a little more serious.

With a single snap of his fingers he created multiple pairs of hands from the ground and used them to grab Natsu, Sting, Ichiya and Bacchus by their ankles, completely immobilizing them and further extending his lead.

"I shall see you up ahead, gentlemen." he smiled and crawled away.

"Jura extends his lead even further by immobilizing his competition!" said Lola. "Will he keep this pace until the end?!"

"They are being spared by Jura's kind nature." Lyon said with a smirk. "He could break their legs into pieces if he wanted to."

"A man of his level can rarely experience a challenge." said his Master. "Let him have his fun."

Jura could see the end of the field just up ahead. His opponents have long broken out of their jail but they were still too far to catch up.

Just when he was about to cross the line he spotted a shadow on the ground and upon looking up he saw a piece of debris falling onto his head.

As Jura smacked the rock away Kagura jumped over him to complete Stage 2 as the first.

"Oh! Mermaid Heel's Kagura has successfully overtaken Jura to take the lead!" exclaimed Lola. "However we are only half-way through, for now it's time for Stage 3!"

Natsu, Sting and Bacchus have successfully caught up with Jura.

Bacchus was holding one of Jura's stone hands. "Hey monk, how about I shove that hand up your-" he waved it above his head to add to the threat but was interrupted by a gigantic tremor.

The ground has begun to split, as multiple massive figures emerged from underneath, sand abd rocks falling off their giant bodies.

"You're kidding me, right?" asked nervously Gray after looking at the screen.

Kabo smirked devilishly. "Stage 3: Monster Field! Do not worry though, they are holograms! Very realistic holograms, however!"

Three massive beasts, as tall as Domus Flau itself stood before the mages, their roars deafening and their smell stunning. They were hybrids of various animals and creatures, composed of their deadliest attributes.

Suddenly, all participants forgot about their rivalry and prepared for combat.

Sting pinched his nose in disguist. "That explains the stench!"

"And the vibrations that led me out of the maze." Jura added and readied a fighting pose.

Ichiya, who has finally caught up, reached out into his inner pocket. "Men, it seems I can not hold my trump card back any longer..."

More and more monsters were appearing behind the initial trio, successfully blocking the way to the goal.

Kagura frowned and gripped her blade tight. She focused her magic power and unleashed her magic on the men, successfully immobilizing them with her gravity, as their feet sunk deep into the ground.

She then jumped straight at the nearest monster that looked like a bear with eyes and tongue of a snake and swiftly jumped over its palm, only to land on its shoulder, not engaging it in combat.

"No one told us to defeat these beasts." she said and dashed forward straight at the second monster. "We can walk around them and fight only when necessary." she stated as she sliced the monster's head off and used it as a launchpad to proceed further and vanish from sight.

Back with the men Jura has managed to break out of Kagura's influence and smiled. "Well done." he praised her and impaled the bear with multiple earth spikes that carried him high in the air, only to move to the next one.

Natsu grit his teeth. Kagura was already long gone and Jura was slaying the monsters with such ease he could keep his hands in his pockets. He, on the other hand, was still incapacitated by the gravity.

Time was running out.

Natsu closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose. He then snapped his eyes open, his pupils turned into slits, and unleashed his magic power before greedily sucking the air in.

Sting's eyes opened wide in sudden fear, which came mostly from experience. He would recognize this move in his sleep. With some difficulty he jumped to the side, Bacchus doing the same in the meantime.

 _ **FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!**_

Natsu unleashed a massive torrent of crimson flames that covered almost the entire width of the area and devoured everything on their path.

Jura had only but a second to protect himself with a giant golem, which was already yellow in color from the heat.

All the monsters in the way have been reduced to either ashes or a charred mass, depending on their strength.

To make sure the way was completely clear, Natsu focused his magic and heated his flames so much they became white in color by the base of the roar, however at the cost of width.

After a couple more seconds Natsu shut his teeth close like a bear trap, his roar vanishing in the air.

The arena was quiet. The commentators, the crowd, the guilds - they all stared at the screen in awe and fear. Not just them, the participants have also been stunned by what just happened.

The earth was scorched and crumbly, small flames still burning here and there.

The roar has taken almost a half of the monsters with it, their remains falling to the ground with loud thuds and their ashes flowing with the wind respectively.

After a long moment of shock Lola shook his head and lowered toward his microphone. "W-what strength!" he tried to remain professional. "Fairy Tail's Natsu clears the way to victory with one strike!"

The crowd has started to wake up from the shock with impressed clapping and whistling.

"What the hell is up with this kid?!" one man grabbed his head in disbelief.

"Well, he certainly lives up to his reputation, that's for sure!" said another man. He sounded scared. "This could kill anyone!"

"Maybe, but all it killed was the holograms!" defended a young woman.

Lucy looked around with a big smile on her face as the cheers started to pick up.

"Definitely different from yesterday, huh?" Cana poked her with her elbow.

Lucy beamed. "Yup!"

"That's my boy!" Makarov roared on top of his lungs. "Go, Natsu!"

"Are you for real?" chuckled nervously Elfman.

Gray looked at him "Oh, you've never seen him do this?" he asked innocently.

"Hell no! Why do you sound like it's a daily occurrence for you guys?!"

Erza simply smiled with pride at the screen.

Sting stood up to his feet, still shaken, Bacchus and Ichiya doing the same next to him. He looked at the damage and gulped, before grinning in excitement.

"That's more like it!" he cackled.

A couple dozen meters behind the group was Zancrow, who has finally caught up with the rest by propelling himself with flames.

"Hold your ass over there, Salamander! You too, Saber trash!" he yelled.

While Sting's eyebrow twitched at the insult, Natsu ignored him, along with everyone else and bent his knees.

Jura, who has just freed himself out of his golem, smirked at Natsu and turned around to face him.

"Perhaps it'd be in everyone's interest if you stayed here, young man." he said threateningly and raised his right hand.

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he dashed forward straight at the incoming pillars of earth. Jura's, on the other hand, have widened upon feeling something blitz past him at speed so great he could barely see a thing.

His pillars struck the empty ground, that had two footprints with sparks coursing through them.

The Saint threw his head back and spotted Natsu's back way up in the front, as he made his way through the field of dead holograms.

Back in the guild stands Laxus slowly lowered his arms that he kept crossed on his chest.

"Son of a bitch..." he muttered.

"After the spectacular spell, Natsu has managed to get past Jura!"

"Impossible!" Lyon leaned over the railing in outrage.

Jura frowned and created a new, faster dragon. Sting wanted to follow but was forced to counter incoming Zancrow. Ichiya and Bacchus followed Jura, leaving the two behind.

Kagura, who was already halfway through the stage, pushed the debris that acted as her shield from the flames off of her and coughed. She was unharmed but her clothes were dirty and torn from contact with rocks.

"What in God's name..." she pondered and opened her eyes.

She opened them just in time to lock them with Natsu's, who was just passing her. His eyes were not hostile but the way he looked at her made Kagura feel unsettled for that split second they were close.

Natsu turned his head back and ran forward right underneath the punch from a surviving gorilla monster.

Kagura recollected herself and followed him, the rest not so far behind her.

"Will you piss off?!" irritated Sting kicked at Zancrow's head as they ran side by side.

"Learn your place, failed Hunter!" he growled and sent his fire at Sting.

He ducked underneath them so that they hit Bacchus instead of him. Upon getting out of the flames, burned Bacchus scowled. "You're on, punk." he muttered and kicked Zancrow in lower back.

Using this chance Sting ran past them and caught up with Jura, who was already on Kagura's tail.

The woman looked back and tried to immobilize them yet again, however both of them avoided the rain of gravity and continued to run past them.

Bacchus palmstruck Zancrow who blocked it his his right forearm and retaliated with a scythe made out of fire. The drunk jumped over it and followed with a kick that connected with the Slayer's chin.

Zancrow spat some blood aside and blasted Bacchus away with flames which he broke out of and threw a rock that hit Zancrow in the nose.

As the two fought while running, two new monsters emerged from the ground and blocked their way.

Fed up with everything by this point, both men tore through the beasts like through butter and moved along.

Jura, who has overtaken Kagura, trapped a massive snake between two earth drums and moved it out of the way, only to then impale an even bigger snake with spears.

Kagura pushed Sting's kick away with Archenemy and tried to trap his legs with gravity but once again failed. The Dragon Slayer jumped to the side and released yet another roar that successfully stalled Kagura and allowed him to overtake her.

"We are reaching the end of Stage 3 and the competition is as fierce as it gets!" announced Lola.

"We're already there!" announced Kabo.

Natsu squinted snd spotted a massive structure in the distance. Having figured out ot must have been the goal, he stopped running and instead turned his hands and feet into thrusters.

Jura and Kagura, who has finally managed to trap Sting, have also noticed it. While Jura sped up, Kagura cut out a square from the ground and used her magic on it just like in Stage 1.

"Welcome to Stage Four: Race! Whoever crossed the line first wins!" said Kabo.

"Last straight." said Erza nervously.

"Go, Natsu!" Wendy cheered next to her.

Natsu, Jura and Kagura advanced at top speed straight towards the goal. The Saint was unable to catch up with the already far away Dragon Slayer. "Well done." he praised with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"Oh! It appears that Raven Tail A's Svenar is finally catching up!"

Just as Lola said, Svenar was flying through the field at his top speed, his body battered and bleeding. He cut through the air above horribly exhausted Ichiya and was just a few meters away from Bacchus and Zancrow.

"Damn it...I've just woken up!" he snarled in embarrassment. "I swear I will get back on this monk prick!"

Bacchus blocked Zancrow's kick and looked to the side at the incoming enemy. He grinned devilishly and ran straight at Zancrow and jumped on his shoulder to use it as a launchpad to get to Svenar and grab him by the ankle.

"See you at the end, son!" he cackled and flew off with Svenar.

Zancrow grit his teeth and lit his body ablaze. "Get back here, you prick!" he roared and blasted off.

Svenar, who has already passed Sting and was now just about to catch up with Jura and Kagura looked down, having only just noticed Bacchus dangling below him.

"The fuck did you come from?!" he squeaked.

"From depths of hell!" Bacchus laughed sheepishly and pulled the Take Over mage down to the ground.

Bacchus planted his feet in the ground and slid on it whilst building up strength and magic in his body. With great difficulty he flexed his muscles and pulled Svenar's leg before smashing him into the ground with enough force to bury him in it, second time in this event.

Emilia facepalmed in her stands as Lola and Yajima commentated on the events that have just happened, her teammates yelling next to her.

"Stay down, birdie!" Bacchus laughed and ran after Jura and Kagura, who have both resumed on their way after shaking off the shock.

The event was coming to an end. Natsu was still blasting towards the goal like a meteor, although his speed has seemingly decreased. His magic power was not as high as was a couple minutes ago, the sweat on his face and his hard breathing being a testimony to that. This allowed Jura and Kagura to close the distance and threaten his position.

Kagura gripped Archenemy and flexed the muscles in her legs. If she timed it right she could dash and cut him down in the air. She wouldn't win, but she would secure her number two position. If she failed, however, she could fall behind to 4th place, or even worse.

Jura smiled and decided to not throw the towel in just yet. With only meters left to spare, he made his move before Kagura and raised his hands to erect a massive stone of rock just before the goal.

Natsu, although surprised, regained his composure and enlarged his flames to charge straight forward.

Svenar, who has freed himself yet again, cut through the field in a desperate attempt to catch up. While on his way, he spotted Zancrow. "Hey, God Slayer!" he called out to him.

Zancrow turned to his guildmate and caught up on his plan within a split second. He grabbed Svenar's leg and both men blasted off towards the goal.

Natsu grit his teeth and smashed his figure straight into the thick wall, breaking through like a rock through thin ice. With the final obstacle cleared his feet landed on the goal line as the first participant to do so.

"It's Natsu!" Lola roared into the microphone. "Fairy Tail's Natsu is the winner of Obstacle Race! Fairy Tail receives 10 points!"

The guild exploded in cheers and happiness. Levy and Lisanna picked up Pantherlily and Carla in a group hug, Makarov almost fell off the balcony due to excitement, Gajeel smirked, and Mira whistled as loud as she could, which earned her a smack across the head from Laxus.

"He did it!" Wendy jumped high in the air, as Elfman and Gray bumped their fists with shit eating grins. Erza stared at the screen with awe and pride.

Jura smiled in defeat as he crossed the line as 2nd, Kagura jumping off her rock next to him as 3rd.

"2nd place?! How can you call yourself a Wizard Saint?!" Obaba yelled on top of her lungs as her guild tried to calm her down.

"But you said-" Cherria tried to defend the man.

"I know what I said!"

"You did well Kagura!" Beth cheered her friend. "Great job!"

"She must be frustrated." Arania scratched her cheek.

"Kagura knows no frustration! She will turn this into fuel and bounce back!" Risley puffed her chest out in pride.

Bacchus groaned in disappointment at his 4th place but still clapped for the winner.

"Well done, Mister Bacchus!" Rocker roared on top of his lungs. "This is it! This is what makes us wild!"

After completing the event Sting kicked a pebble in frustration but held no grudge. Unlike the rest he had no magical way to increase his speed and maintain a solid lead throughout the challenge.

At least not without revealing all his cards.

"Tonight is going to be loud." sighed Rufus and adjusted his hat.

"It's his own damn fault for letting himself get too emotional." Orga said with his deep voice. "Should have ignored everyone and just jump on their heads."

"That's not his style, though." Rogue shook his head.

Svenar and Zancrow blitzed through at 6th and 7th respectively. Svenar cursed and kicked the ground as hard as he could in a fit of anger. Zancrow merely scoffed and walked away from the others.

"Such a shameful display!" lamented Albert.

"Screw him, let Master deal with his shit." scoffed Ellia. "Just make sure to do better when it's your turn, big man." she said and punched him playfully, the friendly act making him beam in happiness.

A couple minutes later a half-dead sweaty Ichiya ran across the line and collapsed in exhaustion, having long ran out of ways to increase his stamina.

"Well fought." Hibiki saluted through tears, the rest of his team doing the same in the background.

With all participants past the finish line, the screen changed from camera view to a table.

 **Fairy Tail, Natsu – 10p**

 **Lamia Scale, Jura – 8p**

 **Mermaid Heel,** **Kagura – 6p**

 **Quatro Cerberus, Bacchus – 4p**

 **Sabertooth, Sting – 3p**

 **Raven Tail A, Svenar – 2p**

 **Raven Tail B, Zancrow – 1p**

 **Blue Pegasus, Ichiya – 0p**

"Now that we have this exciting event behind us, it's time for a quick break!" said cheerfully Lola. "We will be right back with the battle section of the day! Please, do not get too far!" With that said the crowd and guilds left the arena, the excitement still in the air. And they still had a lot to look forward to.

 **End of Chapter 39. To be continued in Chapter 40: Day Two: Bad Blood.**

* * *

 **Second half of the chapter will be out soon.**


	41. Day Two: Bad Blood

The atmosphere outside of the arena was just as fired up as inside of it. People were talking and reenacting the events they have just witnessed.

The Fairy Tail guild was no different, their good moods known to everyone around them.

"I still have chills!" admitted Lisanna and shivered.

"That certainly was a great display." Freed nodded with a smile.

"No matter how many times I see him do it I can never get used to it." said Lucy.

"You make it sound like you see it every other day." laughed Cana.

"Honestly? I might as well."

Cana left it without a response.

Mirajane looked at Laxus and frowned. "What's up with you?" she asked him.

He looked at her, a bit startled. "Nothing." he shrugged her off and adjusted his coat. "Just lost in thought."

"Right."

Makarov was laughing out loud and yelling about how great his guild was, which only made Laxus even more irritated.

"Let him." Mira told him, "As annoying as it is it's better than having him sulk again."

"It would have been even better if he didn't do it at all." he said but agreed deep down in his heart. Seeing his grandfather being miserable was far beyond the point of bearable. Any more would simply break his heart.

On the opposite end of the lobby was Fairy Tail's team, which was trying to cut through the immense crowd and meet up with Natsu, who was not returned to the team stands after the event.

"That really was something!" Wendy beamed like a child. "I forgot to breathe a few times!"

"Well said." Elfman nodded eagerly. "That was truly a manly performance! Just listen to the crowd!"

"He totally bought them." grinned Gray. "Some of them, at least."

"Yes." Erza smiled as she passed by a group of children trying to replicate Natsu's Roar attack on each other. "It is much more pleasant to walk these hallways now."

"Did you see the look those guys from Raven had?" grinning Elfman poked Gray with his elbow.

"I know, right?" smirked Gray. "It made the win even sweeter."

"Knock it off." Erza told them with a gentle frown. "There is no need to be so petty."

Gray looked at her and raised his eyebrows. After a few seconds the knight could no longer keep up the face.

"Okay, it did feel good." she admitted and looked away to hide her cocky smirk, much to the entertainment of the men. She felt very proud and happy of her lover's achievement.

"I bet Sis is in bliss right now." said Elfman as he cut through a group of people. "She has a bone to pick with the guy they sent out today."

"First it was that dragon dude, now this guy. You'd think she attracts other Take Over users." Gray pointed out.

"She did wish to prove hers was the superior one when she was younger, maybe it's destiny."

"Is that why she'd kick your ass every day?"

"I'd appreciate if you let me forget about it."

"Not a chance."

While the boys bantered, Erza tried to spot Natsu out in the crowd. Her lips curved into a smile on their own upon spotting his messy pink head in the crowd by the toilets.

"Natsu!" she called out to him.

Natsu spotted her waving arm in the crowd and smiled like a kid. "Yo!" he greeted her cheekily.

Erza walked up to him and hugged him, which he returned, although with not as much enthusiasm, mostly out of concern for her ribs, his own crying quietly.

The rest of his team soon followed through.

"That was incredible!" Wendy squeaked.

"Way to leave a mark." smirked Gray.

"You were outstanding back there." Elfman nodded. "A deed truly worth of Erza's man."

Natsu grinned and scratched the back of his head while Erza looked away with a blush.

"Still not used to us knowing?" Gray mocked her playfully.

"If it's any consolation: the whole guild knows by now." Elfman followed with a grin.

Erza moaned in embarrassment.

"What's the big deal about it?" Natsu asked innocently.

Gray wrapped his arm around his neck. "You see, for years we were so used to this tough, cold Erza, that learning she can be just as much of a girl as the rest of chicks in our guild is a bit hard to take in." he explained.

"It will pass soon." added Elfman.

"For your own sake I hope this 'soon' happens within next few minutes." Erza threatened with daggers for eyes.

The boys gulped nervously and dropped the subject.

"What did you think of the competition?" she turned to Natsu. "Any impressions?"

Natsu frowned a little and scratched his cheek. "That bald guy was strong, I could tell." he admitted. "He gave me chills for a moment."

"Sounds about right." smiled the knight.

"What about that Saber guy?" asked Elfman. "He kept chasing you."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what his deal is." Natsu shrugged. "I think he wants to piss me off on purpose, so he keeps yapping whenever he sees me."

"Well, it worked." Gray raised his eyebrows. "He cut through your fire like butter."

"I was surprised, too. I felt like no one really gave it their all." nodded Natsu.

"Oh, he can go beyond that hellfire he showed there?" Elfman asked under his breath.

Wendy gently patted his back with compassion.

"That's to be expected. It's only the second day, revealing all cards would cause difficulty later on." said Erza.

After a very torturing attempt of cutting through the crowd, Erza has finally spotted her guild in the distance.

Lucy, being the one to spot her, beamed and waved her hand high in the air. "Erza! Here!"

This got the attention of the rest of the guild, who reacted accordingly by burying Lucy and overtaking her to get to the group quicker.

"That was incredible!" Lisanna praised Natsu.

"Well done." nodded Freed.

"Way to go, my boy!" Makarov roared. "I knew you could do it!"

"Stuff it, old man." irritated Mirajane groaned in the back.

"Thanks." Natsu bowed his head gently.

"That was truly a masterful performance." admitted Juvia.

Gray blinked. "Wow. You didn't say that about mine."

Juvia's face grew red. "I..-Of course I did! I-"

"Watch it, or else you'll have to go through her." he added and pointed at Erza with his thumb.

The redhead blinked and frowned gently, before scooping a bit closer to Natsu, her eyes on Juvia.

The rain woman could not form a sentence, much to Gray's amusement. "Relax, I was just kidding." he said and patted her on the shoulder.

"I gotta throw up." deadpanned Gajeel, which earned him a smack from Levy.

"Now that we got first place in the event, whoever follows has to deliver as much, if not harder." Laxus said loudly, effectively breaking all banter and chatting. "I doubt you could see it, but pretty much all the other guilds looked like they wanted to kill us by the end of it. No matter who one of you will have to fight, you have to deliver." he added, directed at the team.

Erza's face grew serious. "That was the intention from the beginning." she said.

Laxus nodded. "Good. I'm just making sure."

Wendy sighed anxiously. Natsu noticed it and squatted next to her.

"You can do this." he told her. "I heard you kicked some ass during training. Just carry it over to the real thing. What did I tell you before we left?"

The girl gulped, but gave him a nervous smile. "If you're scared, smile. That will scare it away."

Natsu grinned. "Exactly." he said and tousled her hair.

Lucy watched her team with a sad look in her eyes.

"What is it?" Erza noticed it.

Lucy snapped out of it. "Huh? No, nothing!" she said with a high pitched voice.

"Very well, then." the knight replied with a gentle frown. She did not buy it, but decided not to dig any further. For now.

Makarov cleared his throat. "Well, now that I could finally throw it out of my system, it's time to get serious." he announced.

"You were the only one not being serious, though." told him Gray, which the elder ignored.

"It is just how Laxus said. By besting the likes of Jura, the target on our back has become larger than ever. From now on it'd be for the best to expect hell, no matter whether it's a battle, or an event. The hard part has only just begun." Makarov said. "We will prevail! Our name has stayed in the gutter for far too long! Do your duty, as we will do ours!" he raised his voice along with his arm.

The guild chanted alongside him, which earner them a couple weird looks from the onlookers.

A very loud sound of clapping echoed across the hall, accompanied by a gentle chuckle, one that danced on the line between pitiful and mocking.

Laxus' forehead has developed a popped vein upon looking to the side, where the sound was coming from, his fists clenching on their own.

"Beautiful speech, father." Ivan said with a smile and ceased clapping. He was accompanied by Leord, who looked anything but thrilled to be here. "I'm very sorry about your leg." he added with a fake concern in his voice.

Makarov furrowed his brow and gripped his cane harder.. "What do you want, Ivan?" he asked.

Ivan blinked. "Nothing, really. Do I need a reason to see my family?"

"You have long lost the right to be considered as such." Makarov told him coldly.

Ivan sighed. "You got me, that's not why I'm here." he announced with a nonchalant tone and smile. "I came to congratulate on your splendid performance. You have acquired quite a mage." he gently licked his lips and gave Natsu a short glance.

The Dragon Slayer ignored Ivan's praise and instead focused on the boy behind him. His eyes, that expressed complete disinterest all this time, have now expressed pure disgust, almost as if his own Master repulsed him.

"Spare your breath, you have no right to speak." Makarov saw through the bait. "You went out of your way to find people who hold the slightest of grudges towards my kids. You'd exposed the guild's secret to turn people against us. What more do you want?"

Ivan smirked. "I'd like you to remember, that I haven't done anything to put those people against you. I have merely listened to those who have suffered because of your guild and gave their voice more volume. If anything, you have turned your beloved town against you by committing crimes left and right."

Makarov gripped his cane so hard his hand shook. "You mean you granted speech to former criminals and bandits, who have clearly broken the law." he said with a growl.

"Ah, yes. I am quite sure our Emilia was a notorious criminal at the ripe age of twelve when Miss Scarlet cut her down and left her to die like an unwanted dog." retorted Ivan.

Erza bit her lip and clenched her fist, but did not break. Ivan stared her down in an attempt to push her over the edge, but she stood her ground. Natsu, who noticed her behavior, gently reached out and grabbed her hand into his, giving it a firm squeeze, one she granted back.

Ivan spread his arms to the sides an frowned in irritation. "As right you are about Svenar and Albert, please do not attempt to make me look like a complete villain, father." he told him firmly, filling the last word with poison. "No one would have listened to me if your guild's conscience was truly crystal clear. Fairy Tail has enough dirt under its nails to bury itself in it, and I have merely exposed it to the people who granted you shelter for years, blinded by ignorance."

Ivan's words cut deep into the hearts of Makarov and the older members, who simply could not deny his words. They remained quiet in frustration.

"Are you after the guild's destruction, then?" Makarov asked him. "Is it revenge?"

Ivan smirked. "Why would I be after something I have achieved a long time ago?" he asked.

Makarov's cane broke under the strength of his grip, but that did not intimidate his son.

"You lost your home, your island, your name is knees deep in mud. You lost Gildarts. What more is left?" he asked with a smirk. "Just leftovers and rejects of the society."

Makarov raised his arm to stop several members of his guild from lashing out on Ivan. Leord twitched behind him, most likely to defend his Master if needed.

In the crowd, Lucy gently squeezed Cana's hand, who returned it.

"As of right now, I am merely after two things. A chance for my kids to settle the score with your spawn..." not intimidated Ivan continued and put his hand on Leord's shoulder "And what has belonged to me since over a decade ago." he finished and looked at Laxus.

The Dragon Slayer shot his grandfather a short, confused look. He looked deeply unsettled. Laxus then scowled as his father approached him. The men stared at each other for a very short, but intense moment, which was broken by Ivan.

"I look forward to our future meeting, son." he said. "You have something very important to me. As my son, I expect you to grant my wish. We're family, after all." he smiled and put his hand on Laxus' chest.

Laxus clenched his fist, gentle sparks of thunder crackling around it. "I do not consider filth as family." he told him shortly.

Ivan clicked his tongue and sighed. "Your tongue is just as sharp as your grandfather's." he said with mocked pain in his voice and retracted his hand. He then chuckled and turned around. "Well, I did what I wanted to do. We shall definitely meet later on in the Games. I look forward to the competition and best of luck, Fairy Tail. Let's go, Leord." he signalized his guild member and walked away.

The teenager looked at Fairy Tail. His eyes, despite the natural boredom written into them, expressed something that could be taken as an apology. He then followed his Master and soon both vanished in the crowd.

Fairy Tail was left quiet and frustrated, their celebration cut short. Laxus had a very deep frown glued to his face, mixed with confusion. He touched his chest where his father put his hand and examined it.

Erza took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "We should hurry. The second half of the day should begin soon." she said and turned to her team.

Her words snapped the other members out of their trance, as they all agreed and started to move again, the participants towards their stands and the spectators to the balcony.

"Fucking prick." Mirajane scoffed under her nose and followed the rest. Even Lisanna didn't try to scold her for her language.

"Best of luck, you guys!" Levy cheered in an attempt to lighten the mood up. "You can do it!"

"Kick their ass, guys!" helped her Lucy.

"Elfman, I'll turn you into stone if you lose!" threatened Evergreen.

Gajeel, Juvia and Carla joined in on the cheering, which effectively boosted the team's mood. Laxus, on the other hand, walked down the corridor, deep in thoughts.

"Meet me once today is over." Makarov told him quietly. "We have to talk."

Laxus frowned. "About what?"

Makarov anxiously closed his eyes, full of dread. "About the truth of our family."

* * *

"Welcome back ladies and gentlemen!" Lola exclaimed in excitement once the break was over. "Please take your seats and get ready for more excitement!"

"After the very competitive event the battles have been put under a bit of a pressure." Yajima said with a smile.

"I am sure the organizers of the Games will not fail us, both the commentators and spectators alike!"

The guilds were back in their designated places. Fairy Tail's mood was still influence by the unfortunate meeting.

"Don't think about that right now." Natsu told his team. "He wanted to throw you off. Don't give him what he wants."

Gray turned to him. "Didn't you try to roast that Saber guy after he talked shit?"

"We were both in an event. I would have done it anyway."

Kabo walked out to the middle of the arena and cleared his throat.

"Welcome to the second half of the day!" he greeted cheerfully. "The time has come to start the Battle section!"

The crowd welcomed the referee with a loud applause, excited to see what kind of battles would follow the already amazing event.

Kabo snapped his fingers to materialize a table above his head. "Here are the match-ups for the day!"

Letters started to roll on random, before they settled after a short while.

 **Raven Tail A vs Lamia Scale**

 **Fairy Tail vs Quatro Cerberus**

 ** **Raven Tail B vs Blue Pegasus****

 **Mermaid Heel vs Sabertooth**

"Not seeing them today, eh." Gray muttered under his breath through the cheering crowd.

Natsu looked at the table. "Should be easy." he said with confidence.

"I feel like we are underestimating them just a bit." sweatdropped Wendy.

"Some of us are." Erza frowned at her team." Cerberus is a very strong guild. They have a reputation of-"

"Whoever gets to fight must win in less than 5 minutes." Natsu told his team, ignoring the knight. "Otherwise you will have to be punished."

"5? Make it 3." grinned Gray, with Elfman nodding.

"I would if we had Laxus instead of you."

Wendy chuckled nervously and looked to0 her right. Her face went pale withing a second. "Um, guys...?"

The men turned around to the sight of a very irritated Erza. Gray and Elfman coughed and muttered under their noses as they looked someplace else. Natsu, on the other hand, turned to her. "What, you want to get in?" he asked her, oblivious.

The knight looked like she was contemplating hitting him, but stopped herself at the last moment. "No. Take it seriously." she said shortly and turned away with her hands crossed over her chest.

Gray sighed gently. "I wish I had this kind of power..." he muttered to himself. Elfman could only nod.

Meanwhile down in the arena, Kabo cleared the table and was just about to announce match number one. "The first match of the day is...!"

The letters rolled once again, revealing the names.

 **Albert, Raven Tail A**

 **vs.**

 **Toby Horhorta** **, Lamia Scale**

A very loud roar of excitement shook the entire arena as Albert threw his arms high in the air in celebration. "My turn has finally come! I have been itching for a fight!" he announced to the whole arena, his voice somehow louder than both the commentators and Kabo, and jumped down from his balcony, leaving his teammates behind. All of them have long plugged their ears.

"Stay focused." Lyon told Toby. "We have no idea what he can do, but seeing the level the rest of his guild has shown he is definitely not a pushover."

"Don't hold back." told him Jura.

"I won't!" Toby yelled and ran down the stairs to the arena.

"Oh. It's him." Lucy deadpanned in the guild balcony.

"You know him?" asked her Carla.

"Yeah, we met him on Galuna. He's really weird, but his magic could work here." the blonde replied.

"What do you think?" Gray asked Natsu.

The Dragon Slayer thought for a moment. "Hard to tell, I don't know this other guy. But this Raven dude is tough. It was hard to fight him."

"Yeah, but you were also half-dead. He may not be as tough as you thought he was back then." Gray pointed out.

"Most of my blades are as sharp as a weapon can possibly get." Erza threw in. "Natsu used one of those. Even if we count his condition in, he shouldn't have had this much trouble." she said, much to Gray's surprise.

"If he wasn't back then, then he probably is now." Natsu added. "That guy with wings, his speed was much better than before. They did some training as well."

Back in Raven's stands, Ellia leaned over the railing. "This should be easy." she said.

"We of all people should not show overconfidence too lightly." Emilia reminded gently. "We have no idea what this man is capable of."

"Said the chick that decided to wait until the last seconds of an event to do something." Ellia raised her eyebrow.

"Do not mistake confidence with cockiness."

Svenar leaned his arm on Leord's shoulder. "What do you think, Leo?" he asked him. "Is it gonna be easy?"

Leord looked down. "Albert's durability is one of his strong points, however, even that can be broken. If his opponent uses magic that is not entirely focused on a physical trait, then he might have some trouble."

Svenar whistled. "I think that's the most words I've heard you say at once in a year." he said.

Leord gave him a very cold frown.

"Relax. I'm just kidding." Svenar grinned his sharpened teeth and playfully poked Leord's chest with his finger.

Both mages have already met in the arena. As Kabo explained the rules, they stared each other down.

"I am in a good mood." Albert announced with a wide smile. "As a proof of that, I shall give you one free blow. Strike me as hard as you can and if I can withstand it, I will retaliate with the same. We shall see who can take more!"

Toby's eyes widened a little in surprise. The sound of Emilia's hand slapping her forehead echoed across the arena for everyone with hearing sensitive enough to catch it.

"Oh! It looks like this match is turning out to be somewhat unique!" Lola noticed. "Raven Tail A's Albert is willing to test his durability against Toby!"

"Is he mocking us?" Lyon narrowed his eyes.

"No, he doesn't appear to be this kind of a person." Jura pointed out.

"Maybe he's just stupid?" asked Sherria.

Toby clenched his fist. "You making fun of me?" he asked.

Albert blinked. "Certainly not! Seeking out the toughest of challenges and breaking them with my own fists - that is the way I've been living my whole life!" he said with pride. "Tell you what, if you manage to render me incapable of responding to your attack within ten seconds, I will do whatever it is you desire from me!"

"You mean like a bet?"

"Exactly! However, the same goes for you! If you can not survive my attack, I will request something from you!"

"Now this is new." Yajima said, impressed.

"We have ourselves a bet, ladies and gentlemen!" Lola announced to the crowd. "The stakes have become much higher!"

"Deal." Toby said, much to Albert's joy.

"Referee! Ring the gong!" he roared so loud Kabo, who was standing just a meter away almost fell down.

The mascot awkwardly motioned for the bell to ring and thus the match began. Kabo quickly ran to the side to let the mages fight it out.

"Now, come at me!" Albert said and puffed his chest out. "Give me all you have!"

Toby howled and brought out his long claws.

"There they are! Toby's Paralysis Claws!" Lola announced in excitement. "Rumors say one tiny scratch can rob an elephant of its movement within seconds!"

"Oh? That true?" Albert whistled and looked at Toby. "I knew it'd be interesting!"

Toby bent his knees and dashed at Albert, before flexing his muscles as hard as he could. His claws went through the giant's skin like throgh butter, but the wounds themselves were incredibly shallow.

Albert took a step back from Toby'c momentum and looked at his chest. He had five long cuts that went from his left shoulder down to his right hip. He put his hand on the wound and ran his fingers over his blood.

Toby smirked. "Now you won't be able to move!" he declared with confidence. "I told you not to make fun of me! Give up!"'

Albert smeared the blood on his fingers, his lips mouthing something.

"Hey, you hear me?" Toby called out to the giant yet again, confused by his behavior.

Albert's lips stopped moving and his hand clenched into a fist. He released a deep sigh and shook his head gently, almost as if he was disappointed. "It's been ten seconds already and yet I feel no different..."

Toby's eyes widened in shock. The cuts on his opponent's chest were closing themselves before his eyes, small traces of steam emitting from the already healed wounds.

"Figured." Gray clicked his tongue from his stands.

Laxus frowned. "Now this is new." he muttered.

Toby took a step back. "I...How..."

"It appears my magic is too fast for your poison to do its thing." Albert sighed and cracked his neck. "A pity, to be sure. But, a bet is a bet."

He clenched raised his clenched fist high in the air, as if to let everyone get a better view. His skin broke from underneath, as the bones of his own wrist and forearm expanded and wrapped themselves around his fist like a glove. "Here I come, Toby!" he announced.

Before Lamia's mage could even guard himself he was struck in the stomach by the hardened fist of Albert. The light in his eyes went out as quickly as a turned off lightbulb and his already limp body was carried in the air by the immense strength of the punch. With one final push his limpless body went flying through the air, before it rolled on the ground and came to a standstill good ten meters away.

Kabo ran up to the fallen mage as quickly as his short legs allowed and waved his hands over his hand after just a split second of a look. Just like that, the match was over.

The crowd's roar of excitement masked the sound of Lyon's fist hitting the railing of his stands, frustration getting the better of him.

"That was fast." Commented Sting to his team.

"Seems like their whole guild can not be simply shrugged off." Orga said and sent a glance at Raven Tail.

Toby rolled over to his back and simply stared into the sky, devastated. Albert walked up to him and stared him down intensely.

"A man must keep his word." he said.

Toby sighed. "He must." he replied. "What do you want from me?"

Albert kneeled down and smiled. "I want you to take this lesson and become even stronger. Grow as a man and as a mage. That is your punishment." he told him and extended his hand.

Toby stared at him, dumbfounded, but grabbed his hand and allowed the giant to effortlessly lift him off the ground to his feet.

"What a manly thing to say!" Lola said. "Despite being enemies, Albert decides to help Toby out! We don't see that too often!"

The crowd absolutely loved it, Raven's name being chanted all over the arena.

"I wish to meet this man sometime during this tournament." Elfman announced with a gleam in his eye, a single tear running down his cheek. "A man through and through."

His team could simply look at him with pity.

"Well, that was something." Lucy blinked. "I expected it to get far worse-"

She was interrupted by ice nearly breaking the stands of Lamia Scale.

"What the-"

"I knew this would happen." Gray scratched his cheek back in his stands. "He probably thinks Raven is mocking his guild."

"They're not?" Wendy asked him, surprised.

"Well, the last time I saw this dude he tried to kill us, but he looks genuine." he shrugged.

Erza frowned and watched the two men walk out of the arena together. Gray had a point. As hard as pushing away the animosity between the two sister guilds was, some of Raven's members seemed to have a lot more going for them than it would seem.

"Hey. Did you notice?" Natsu knocked her out of her thoughts.

"Hmm? Notice what?" she asked him.

"His healing. It's gotten much faster than it was before." he told her.

Erza blinked, slightly taken back. "Really? It didn't seem that way to me."

Now it was Natsu who blinked in confusion. "Really? Guess it was just me." he scratched his head and turned to listen to the conversation behind them.

Toby stared at Albert in awe, but replied with a smirk. "Yeah. I will."

The giant grinned in joy and raised both his and Toby's arms high in the air as the crowd cheered.

"What a moment! Never in the history of Grand Magic Games have we had such portrayal of kinship!"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far..." troubled Yajima threw in.

Ellia smiled and leaned over the railing. "How much would you want to bet that he's dying inside? He probably wanted to throw hands for days."

Svenar grinned. "You think so, too?"

"He sounds and looks genuine." Leord added from the back. "Albert is not that kind of a person to just mock someone in front of an audience."

Svenar's smile faded. "You barely talk to anyone, so how would you know what kind of a person he is or is not?"

The teenager sent him a cold look. Svenar's eye twitched.

"No, really, tell me." he raised his voice and turned around to walk towards Leord. "What else do you contribute other than following Master like a dog and giving us attitude whenever you so desire?"

Svenar put his hand on the young man's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Leord looked at the hand and then at Svenar, his face expressing pure boredom. Neither of the remarks have gotten through and it only made the Take Over mage angrier.

"Drop it, Svenar." Ellia told him. She sounded tense, something very unusual for her. "Did you forget your pills again?"

"Now that I think about it, I don't even know what you can do." he ignored the girl and said with a growl. "They all keep treating you like some prodigy. Master gets off to you on every meeting, you act like you are so high above all of us that you don't even see us. I tried being nice but everything has its limits."

Leord frowned gently upon Svenar's increased grip. His hands that were almost always deep in his pockets were now sliding out of them.

Emilia quickly dashed across the stands and got in-between both men, Nemesis already drawn and separating them from one another.

"That's enough." she said to both of them. "Svenar, no one blames you for feeling frustrated after what happened today, but control yourself. You embarrass both yourself and the rest of us."

Svenar stopped sending death glares at Leord under her arm and looked at her. Her eyes were tense but strict. She gently motioned them to the side, which he followed. The crowd that was near their stands was scared, some of them leaving their seats to get someplace safer.

Seeing his mistake, the man scoffed gently and threw a very muffled apology, before walking away. Emilia took a short breath and sheathed her weapon.

"I wasn't going to do anything." Leord told her truthfully. He sounded weird, like someone wrongly accused of something.

"He was, and that would force you to respond." she told him. Her voice was now softer, almost comforting.

He nodded, slightly relieved. In the meantime, Albert has returned back and laughed on top of his lungs, happy with his victory,

"Good job, big guy." Ellia told him, glad that she had something else to focus on. "You defeated a _very_ mighty foe from Lamia."

"Do not mock, Ellia! His poison would pose trouble, had it been me from years ago!"

As the rest of his team congratulated the giant on his victory, Leord remained in the back. He shot a quick look at Svenar and frowned, now heavily anxious about the rest of his guild. Did they have the same opinion of him? What was going through their heads?

Too scared to ask, he took a deep breath and raised his head. Thinking by himself was too much effort: not that anyone would care about his feelings. Shutting them down and just rolling with the flow was the best possible outcome for everyone.

"Well, then, after the rather quick but very interesting match number one, it is time for our second encounter!" Lola announced.

The letters rolled once again, before forming into the second match-up of the day.

 **Elfman Strauss, Fairy Tail**

 **vs.**

 **Bacchus, Quatro Cerberus**

Elfman breathed out through his nose and straightened his back. "Time to work." he announced.

"Ah, man." Cana scratched her cheek. "This is gonna get ugly."

"Don't say that!" scolded her Lucy.

Mirajane looked composed.

"You're not worried?" Juvia asked her curiously. "You look really confident."

"He worked his ass off." she said plainly. "Whether it was worth the time is up to him. I know what he can do and I'm sure he can pull it off if he plays if out well."

Lisanna nodded with a wide smile. Juvia merely smiled. She just had to believe in the trust between these siblings.

"Go wild out there, big boy." Gray told him as they smashed their hands together in a handshake.

"Stay focused. Bacchus is extremely dangerous, especially if he has alcohol nearby." Erze gave him advice. "No matter what, do not let him drink. It will increase your chances."

Elfman nodded.

"One more thing." she added. "He's always been bad at receiving damage. Try to inflict it as soon as possible to increase your chances."

Elfman nodded again.

Natsu walked up to them. "You transform into monsters, right?" he asked innocently.

Elfman blinked, slightly taken back. "Now that I think about it, you've never seen my magic." he said quietly after a while. _Good thing Ever taught me not to take everything as an insult to my honor as a man_. he thought. "Yeah, I do."

"He uses palm strikes. Try using something hard, something that can withstand it."

"Will do."

With that said the giant walked down to the arena. Back in Cerberus' stands, their entire team was yelling and chanting, but at this point no one in the arena was even mildly phased by it.

Soon enough the men met down in the arena, now separated only by the referee.

"You're a big guy." Bacchus whistled.

"So I've been told." replied Elfman.

The drunk smirked. "Ya know, those guys before us had a good idea. If we're to pummel one another, might as well make it more interesting."

"I am not interested in wagers." said Elfman. "I didn't come here to play."

Bacchus laughed. "C'mon, don't be such a mood killer!" he waved his hand.

"All right, I'll bite. What would you propose?"

Bacchus scratched his chin and looked out into the crowd. His face lit up with brilliance and gave in to a very suggestive smirk.

"Your sister...Older sister. If you lose, I'd like to get to know her a bit more...personal." he said with a low growl. "Or maybe both older and younger at once...?"

The ground beneath Elfman's feet has cracked from the sheer pressure of his foot. His fists were clenched and eyes wide open in fury.

"What a vulgar proposition!" Lola pointed out. "What will Elfman do?! Will the seemingly innocent theme become personal?"

"What a brute." Juvia said with disgust as Lisanna wrapped her arms around herself defensively.

Mirajane, on the other hand, didn't seem too moved. She stared at Elfman, almost in anticipation.

"I will make you shit out your own tail, you stray." Elfman snarled so aggressively that Kabo felt threatened.

Bacchus blinked in confusion, before shaking his head. "Nooooo." he said slowly and raised his hands. "No, no, no! That's not what I meant!" he said defensively and waved his arms to push the point further. "Look. I love women, booze, fighting and money. Your big sis is a very big fish that I've wanted to fight for as long as I can remember. She can fight AND is a woman, can probably down a mug or two, too. A _very_ good looking woman, may I add. When I said personal, I meant 'throw hands with' personal. I may be bold but I would never ask someone to bet their family in such a way!"

Elfman's face relaxed, but just a bit. "And Lisanna?" he asked.

"She could give us something to drink afterwards...I guess?" Bacchus scratched the back of his head.

Elfman sighed through his nose. "Deal." he said.

Lisanna was lost for words, her mouth stuck slightly agape.

Bacchus beamed. "I knew you'd help a brother out!"

Elfman snorted. "Help you? I have just condemned you to a fate cruel than death." he said with a grin worthy of the devil himself. "If you win, that is."

Mirajane replied to this statement with a sinister smirk of her own.

"I guess this is what being alone with Mira for three months does to you." Lucy deadpanned at the similarity between the siblings.

"Yeah. He's always been the more timid one, Even Lisanna used to be more impulsive than him." added Cana. "Maybe it's what he needed to get stronger."

Bacchus grinned. "I know what I'm signing up for, buddy." he said and cracked his back. He lowered himself down and took a fighting stance, before speaking out to the referee. "Ring the bell, imp."

Elfman put up a guard himself. Kabo respected the eagerness of both mages and ran off, waving his arms in the air in a signal.

The sound of the bell has spread across the arena, as the crowd started to loudly cheer for the upcoming brawl.

"Here we go, a match between two striking type mages!" announced Lola. "Bacchus has been a part of the Games in the past! We're all familiar with his very unorthodox style, how will Elfman manage to overcome this bizarre method of fighting?!"

"I'll blush." said sarcastically Bacchus under his nose and dashed forward.

Elfman's eyes widened a little: his speed took him by surprise. However, it was still not enough to render him helpless and with a calm mind, the giant lowered his left arm to block a strike to his stomach with his left elbow. It was strong, strong enough to send a faint wave of pain through his arm across his torso. However, it also gave Elfman an idea of Bacchus' physical strength which, to his surprise, was much greater than his frame would make one believe.

Elfman pushed Bacchus' arm aside and threw a very quick and stiff right straight at the drunk, who barely managed to dodge it by sidestepping to his left. He circled around Elfman and successfully struck his right thigh, which knocked him off balance onto his knee. With Elfman's face now within striking distance, Bacchus attempted to hit it, only to have his head blown backwards by a short uppercut.

Bacchus staggered back a few steps and looked at Elfman in shock, his chin bruised and his lip bleeding.

Despite that he cracked a grin and wiped his chin off. "Quicker than you look, eh?" he asked.

Elfman stood up, his right leg shaking, and put his guard back up, still in his human form. "Stronger than you look, huh?"

"Ha!" Bacchus cackled. "I knew you'd be fun!"

"It appears they are measuring each other up." noticed Yajima. "It appears neither of them used magic in this exchange, just brute strength, but I can not be too sure."

"Do we have ourselves a magicless duel, Mr. Yajima?" asked him Lola.

"I find that unlikely." said the elder. "Bacchus' magic is very simple. He focuses it in the palms of his hands and strikes his opponents. The more magic his puts in them the stronger his attacks become. Predicting whether he's using it or not can only be determined by the damage caused by his hands, and Elfman's is barely noticeable."

"He's right." Erza confirmed to her team. "I saw him level up buildings with just one hit. That exchange just now was him measuring how much strength he can spare using."

"Spare?" frowned Wendy. "What does that mean?"

"It means he had to know how much magic he can use without risking killing Elfman." Gray responded grimly. Erza's silence was more than enough of a confirmation.

Bacchus cracked his neck and moved his right arm in a circular motion. "What do you say we cut this warmup short?" he asked Elfman.

The giant tightened his guard. "Be my guest."

Bacchus charged with an excited cackle, his speed much greater than before: he stopped playing around. Elfman's body glowed and soon his body was that resembling of a humanoid tiger. With his speed greatly enhanced as well, Elfman's clawed fist cut through the air just above the drunk's head, who ducked it and got inside of Elfman's defenses, before punching him in the stomach.

The giant grit his teeth but did not falter and responded with a very compact right hook. Bacchus jumped back to avoid it and as soon as his feet touched the ground he kicked it to get back inside. His hand struck Elfman's guard, but before he could counterattack Bacchus circled around him and struck his lower back with his elbow.

Elfman's body curved from the impact as he gasped from pain, but his suffering did not end there. Bacchus took the opportunity and spun around, only to deliver a devastating backfist to Elfman's liver.

His muffled gasp of agony was loud enough to be picked out by the audience, who cringed at both sight and the sound. As Elfman fell to his knees, the commentators tried to somehow follow the quick and wild exchange.

"I am not quite sure what just happened, Mr. Yajima!" admitted Lola. "Elfman is on his knees in pain, but I didn't get to see which strike did the trick!"

"His liver was struck." Yajima explained with sympathy. "A very dangerous blow that can break the most powerful of mages. It robs you of the ability to move and breathe at once."

Gray punched the railing. "Get up, Elfman!" he roared. "This is nothing! Don't let it end like that!"

"This is bad." Erza said nervously. "This is how Bacchus fights. He may appear very dull and inconsiderate, however his mind is as sharp as a warrior's can get. His knowledge of anatomy and human weak points is but one of his many weapons."

"And you didn't tell him that before he went down because...?" Natsu asked her with raised eyebrows.

"Because it wouldn't matter." she said coldly. "Even if you anticipate the attack and know where it will land, if you lack the needs to stop it you won't be able to change anything. If he had focused on defending his vital points, Bacchus would find a way around that. If Elfman tried to defend himself from that, he would have gone back to his roots. An endless circle, until Elfman's battered body falls to the ground."

Bacchus whistled and watched Elfman try to get a hold of himself. "Y'know, you can always give up." he told him. "They give us this option for a reason."

Elfman clenched his fist. "I'd rather die."

Bacchus' face grew serious. "They all say that." he said coldly. "Until they are actually about to die."

The drunk took a step towards Elfman but was interrupted by something attaching itself to his foot. Upon looking down he spotted elfman's tail wrapping itself around his right foot.

Elfman clenched his right fist and threw a backfist of his own. Due to being immobilized, Bacchus had no other option than guarding it as his raised arms took the force of the punch. The sheer strength of the strike lifted his feet off the ground and sent him fly a good few meters to the side, his forearms sore and shaking.

"Payback." smirked Elfman and stood up.

Bacchus lowered his shaking arms and grinned. "Oh, it's on." he licked his lips and reached down to his bottle.

Erza's eyes widened in terror. "Do not let him drink!" she yelled unexpectedly.

Elfman ignored the advice. "Hey, now that I think about it, I've yet to tell you what will happen when you lose."

Bacchus froze. "I supposed so. What do you want?"

Elfman grinned. "If you lose, your guild has to be renamed to 'Quatro Puppy' until the end of the Games!"

The Quatro Cerberus guild froze in shock. Soon the crowd started to laugh, which only increased fueled their terror.

"It appears the bet is officially on." Yajima said with a gentle chuckle.

Bacchus exhaled through his nose. "Well, I guess it's only fair after I've asked someone to bet their sister." he said. His voice sounded choked up.

Now that everything's been settled, this time it was Elfman's turn to be on the offense. He sprinted towards already drinking Bacchus on all fours like a real tiger and, upon leaping, attacked him with his sharp teeth.

With his bottle now empty the drunk released a joyful sigh and, with the bottle still in his hand, jumped over him. He tried to swiftly counter but Elfman was already back on his two feet. Their hands collided and showed, that even if their speed matched, Elfman was still physically inferior.

He grit his teeth in humiliation upon being pushed back and switched from his tiger form to his Beast Soul. This managed to even the strength gap a bit, but expanded the speed gap, which Bacchus took full advantage of soon enough.

Both men started to wildly throw hands, haymakers and over-swinged strikes flyinf left and right. Elfman had, surprisingly, more luck hitting his shots than he had before, but that was probably because his power has greatly diminished from the already combined damage he was receiving. After a while their hands connected one more time in another power struggle.

The drunk allowed himself to be overpowered and used Elfman's strength against him by shifting his position to circle around him. He then took a deep breath and delivered several quick and powerful strikes to his back.

Elfman gasped and feel onto one knee. His lower back, kidneys, and stomach struck from behind cried out in agony, rendering him unable to grasp a proper breath.

"How many times did he hit him?!" Gray gasped in shock. "It wasn't even a single second!"

Erza was silent, her hands crossed on her chest. She watched the fight with a worried frown glued to her face. Back with the guild, Elfman's sisters did not look too confident either.

"This is unexpected." Mira bit the nail of her thumb.

"Get up, Elfman!" cheered Lisanna. "Get up and show him what you can do!"

The words of his sister have reached Elfman's ears. With his fists and teeth clenched he stood back up through the pain and tried to come up with a new strategy, which turned out to be for naught. All but one could form into anything reasonable, and even this one was insane.

"Haven't tried it outside of that one time, but..." he wiped his bloodied lip. "Not like I have any other option."

Bacchus has now developed a very strong hickup, the alcohol finally kicking in. "If ya got time to mumble to yourself, then you got time to fight, too!" he cackled and dashed forward.

Elfman's body glew in white light yet again but Bacchus did not stop. He retracted his right arm, the magic in his palm focused at extremely dangerous levels.

His palm strike connected with something hard and slippery. Once the blinding light died out Bacchus noticed that his hand was stopped by an arm coated in green, plated set of armor made out of scales.

Elfman's lizard-like eyes were looking at him from behind his guard, uncertain and afraid.

"Trying to stop me with one arm? Bold of you!" Bacchus noted Elfman's other arm being tucked away behind his back in a mocked outrage. Elfman was being pushed back but did not panic, unlike previous times. Bacchus could notice his left shoulder stiffening, which was a dead giveaway for an attack.

 _Well, no matter._ the drunk thought _Not like he will hit me any-_

Bacchus' expectations have been subverted by a powerful punch connecting with his right cheek, his consciousness being kept in place by the thinnest threads of willpower. He stumbled aside in an awkward run to prevent a fall and, while still rocked, looked at Elfman in shock.

The giant's body looked exactly as it used to juset a moment ago, like that of a lizard's. The only thing standing out was his left arm, which was that belonging to the tiger form he'd used not so long ago.

The crowd went wild at this sudden change in the pace, which was onesided in Bacchus' favor thus far.

That is..." Erza gasped.

Mirajane's grin, that usually looked like that belonging to a demon, was now full with pride and joy.

"Mr. Yajima, what are we looking at?" dumbfounded Lola seeked the elder's advice.

"It appears Elfman has managed to mix two different forms of his Take Over." said calmly the elder. "I never thought of it as possible, though."

"Hey, Svenar..." said Ellia "Can't you do it, too?"

"No." Svenar replied shortly. "I've yet to meet a Take Over mage willing to even try it. The amount of concetration and risk is too high to even take it seriously."

"You sure you're not just jealous?"

"I have no need to be jealous of a failed technique that could kill me."

"Oh, so it's a dud?" she asked in disappointment.

Svenar shrugged. "Hell if I know. It could work, but one mistake can cost him a limb. If he's lucky, that is."

The two men measured each other up in the arena, neither too eager to make a move. Knowing that waiting was pointles, however, Bacchus took on the offensive and closed the distance.

Elfman changed his legs into those of a tiger and swiftly jumped out of the way of the attack. He then bent his knees and launched himself straight at Bacchus, who was off balance and could not evade. Elfman's entire upper body was now that of the Beast as he tackled Bacchus so hard the man was launched in the air.

The drunk landed on his feet with a gentle flip and jumped to the side just in time to avoid being crushed by a giant arm that had belonged to Elfman's Ape Form. Bacchus walked around Elfman and struck his right side, only to feel his hand stop on hard scales.

Cursing under his nose, Bacchus wanted to make some distance again, but his legs were immobilized by a fat tail that belonged to a snake, which was followed by a heavy punch from Elfman.

Fed up with this gimmick, Bacchus grit his teeth and, through the pain, struck Elfman five times within a second, hitting nearly all of his vital points.

Elfman grunted from pain and attempted to jump back with his tiger legs, but as he attempted to Bacchus grabbed his tail and pulled him back, right into a devastating palm strike that flattened Elfman's face and crashed him into the ground. With a solid kick to the ribs Bacchus has pushed Elfman away from him, as the giant rolled away like a used up toy.

Whilst Lola commentated on the fight to the excited crowd, Bacchus wiped his lips and spat to the side. "Just how much magic did you burn out this last minute, eh?" he asked Elfman.

The giant groaned and stood up to his feet. He cracked a weak smile. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Caster Magic requires its user to sacrifice a certain amount of magic with each use, on top of using up magic to sustain the form." Bacchus said clearly despite his drunken state. "You just used, what? Five different forms, six? All in barely a minute. You must have just burned most of your tank out."

"Even if that's the case, you know I'm not supposed to tell you, right?" Elfman chuckled weakly. He was low both on magic and endurance. His vital points were screaming in pain, even standing was difficult.

Bacchus looked at the screen, which showcased a clock ticking down. Ten more minutes.

"Give up." he told Elfman. "There's nothing you can do. You fought well, as both a man and a mage. But a true man knows when to give up."

Elfman smiled, his body glowing. "Yeah, he does. He also knows when that time has come, and this is not the time to give up."

Lizard Man stood before Bacchus, his arms raised and his tail wrapped around his torso for extra protection. "My body or your hands...let's see which breaks first! This is a fight to see which one of us breaks first! Come at me, Cerberus!"

"Is he insane?!" gasped Levy. "He can barely stand...And yet..."

"He's giving everything he's got." Laxus stated grimly. "He knows this is his only chance to prove himself. He's willing to die there if that's what it takes."

Bacchus grinned widely. "It's stuff like this that makes my soul quiver!" he roared and thrown himself at Elfman.

The giant's feet sunk into the ground under the weight and amount of strikes that have been thrown at him, his scales bending and cracking, but not breaking. Bacchus has completely given up on defense and gave Elfman everything he had, or at least that's what his crying organs and muscles told him. Although the strikes were blocked, each of them sent shockwaves deep into Elfman's core that collectively built up more and more dull pain that might as well be worse than a clean hit. Regardless of that, Elfman has clenched his teeth and patiently awaited the bell as Bacchus continued to pound away.

The drunk was laughing all this time, his drunken state finally reaching its peak potential, reason no longer in his head. He still showed some signs of tactical thought, such as trying to find gaps in Elfman's defenses, or using feints and fake-outs, but mostly he was focused on aimlessly hitting wherever he could reach.

The armor around his hands was starting to break, the skin underneath purple and bruised, His fingers were long red from blood and torn skin, but it was almost as if he couldn't feel it.

"Bacchus continues to relentlessly attack Elfman! What an incredible pace, it's almost as if his stamina had no bounds!" said Lola.

Erza bit her lip so hard she broke the skin. This statement was so true it was frustrating. A tired Bacchus was a sight as mythical as dragons. Elfman's body was already battered, the scales that were sticking out like spikes all broken at this point, like icicles knocked off the roof with only their root remaining out of a hammer's range. His arms, torso and shoulders had so many cracks he looked like a shattered hard-boiled egg, blood oozing through them from where his skin gave in to the strikes.

The previously excited crowd has become progressively more quiet with each passing minute, distraught by the onslaught happening before their eyes, until the arena has become so quiet everyone could hear the dull sound of Bacchus' hands crashing on Elfman's scales, mixed in with his laughter and Elfman's grunts.

Mirajane and Lisanna watched their brother fight his best, the latter's cheeks long wet from tears. Mira tried to keep a composed face, but silent fury that was written all over her face could be read by everyone around her. She had no right to hold a grudge, this statement was as obvious as one could get, but what sort of a sibling would not want to tear the world into pieces at the sight of their beloved younger sibling being hammered into the ground like a nail?

Elfman was rendered in a bizarre state of half-consciousness. His eyes were wide open and his body reacted to changes in Bacchus' offense, but his mind was as quiet as a forest in the night. Thoughts formed at the speed ten times slower than they were supposed to, and they were by no means useful.

 _Maybe I should drop my right arm a little lower...? Then he'd hit my stomach and knock me out. Wouldn't look like I gave up on my own, would it? I don't want my friends to think I'm a quitter...But...Damn if he's strong. I think I passed out a few times, how did I not fall?_

The scales on his right arm have finally given up and broke, revealing an opening in his armor.

 _Now that I think about it, I've been watching him all this time...Why? It's not like I can beat him, no one believed that since the beginning. Even I knew it, and yet I tried to trick myself into thinking I could._

Elfman's right knee has given up and brought him down.

 _Wait...What the hell am I thinking?! Am I...letting fear get to me?_

The scales on his forehead have been blown away.

 _That's right, I was scared ever since I stepped in here. I knew who this man was and I let it get to my head. I was about to give up from fear! A true man doesn't let fear control him! But neither does he deny he's scared! Fear is nothing to be ashamed of! Letting it win is!_

"...watch them...all times..."

 _Huh?_ a weird voice echoed in his head, but a familiar one.

"Adapt...find their weakness..."

Elfman frowned. He was starting to remember something and the image was clearing up bit by bit.

He looked back at Bacchus and noticed something odd about him. Suddenly multiple gears fell into place and started to grind in harmony, realisation filling up Elfman's mind. He felt like someone poured cold water on his brain to make it work again.

Cackling Bacchus took a wide swing with his right arm, only to be blocked. But this time was different, for Elfman has actually blocked the strike on his own accord. The shocked drunk blinked before feeling his face flatten from a counter-punch that sent his head flying backwards along with his entire body.

"What?!" Master Goldmine stood up from his seat in shock.

Not just him, the whole arena was shocked at the sudden development.

"Counter! Elfman finally answers and puts a stop to this onesided fight! But can he keep it up for longer than a single lucky punch?!" Lola stood up from his seat and exclaimed.

Bacchus staggered on his feet but did not fall. He looked at Elfman and wiped his lips with his shaking right hand. His eyes were slightly misty, a testimony to just how much he did not expect to get hit.

"What in hell..." Gray grabbed his head. "Don't scare us like that, you moron!" he yelled at Elfman. "We thought you died down there!"

"He may have evened the odds out with this punch. For now." Natsu wondered out loud. "That guy was on the offense for the past few minutes, he never expected to be hit back. He took the full strength of this punch with no protection."

"I've finally remembered what Sis told me a long time ago..." Elfman wheezed out. "Watch your opponent and find their weakness. And I found yours, dog. No matter how unorthodox your style is, there is still a limit to how many moves you can have. And you've been hitting me so much that I've seen them all twice by now!"

Bacchus grinned. "And here I thought you were about to tap the ground any second now." he whispered. "We still have some time, Elfman! Let's go out one last time!"

"Come, then!" Elfman roared on top of his lungs. "Try and take me down! I won't break that easily!"

"What is he doing?" wondered Cana. "That guy can barely walk! He should be the one attacking!"

"He can't." said shortly Laxus. "Look."

Cana looked closely and felt her face lose color.

Bacchus' legs were wobbly, that was true. However Elfman's did not work at all, rendered useless by all the sustained damage. The only thing keeping him on his feet was his tail, which he plunged into the ground like foundation of a house.

Bacchus didn't notice it, or chose not to notice, and rushed Elfman with a barrage of hands. His strikes were so quick sometimes he appeared to have multiple arms. The armor on his arms was chipping away bit by bit, his skin breaking and bleeding from repetitive hits.

Elfman defended them all best to the ability of his battered form. He did, however, counter attack in the split moments of recognition of Bacchus' moves.

His lizard fist opened a gash on the drunk's face after it just barely missed its mark. Bacchus replied with a kick to Elfman's left leg for which he was repaid with a vicious uppercut to his gut.

"A vicious ending to the match! Will the attacker break through, or will the defender prevail?!" Lola yelled into his microphone having long abandoned his seat.

Both men threw their best at each other as time was running out. The crowd was going wild, the guilds were cheering so hard their throats were torn. They were both at the peak of their limits but refused to stop even for a second.

After having another of his attacks blocked, Bacchus lost his patience. He jumped high in the air and focused all his magic into his right arm.

"Let's see you block this, Elfman!" he roared and fell down on the immobilized Elfman.

The entire arena shook to its very core, the ground splitting into pieces. Both men were swallowed by a cloud of dust, making it impossible to see what happened.

"Elfman!" Lisanna called out to him with despair, a sensation shared by her entire guild.

"A devastating blow!" Lola said as he held onto his desk from the tremors. "The entire arena has been affected by Bacchus' attack! What has become of Elfman?"

The tremors have ceased after a few more seconds and the dust settled shortly after, revealing the outcome.

Both men were still standing. Elfman's arms, on top of his scales, were coated in heavy, black oily stone, with which he caught the blow. Bacchus' face was stoic, but splashed with disbelief.

Elfman's arms dropped to his sides, broken and of no longer use. He stared deep into his opponent's eyes, who met his glare. Both men were bruised, exhausted and totally spent. The last seconds of the fight went by in complete silence in both the arena and the crowd, before the bell signalizing end of the match echoed across Domes Flau.

"Draw!" Lola yelled just before the crowd exploded. "Both fighters prevail and score 5 points for their guilds!"

Lisanna hugged her sister, who returned it back. Makarov was screaming on top of his lungs how proud he was, while the rest of his guild celebrated in a not that much different way.

Erza watched Elfman being carried away on a stretcher with pure shock written on her face. It did, however, give in to joy and pride to have someone like him as a comrade.

"I don't think anyone else would be able to take that much punishment and still make it to the end." Gray shook his head with a smile.

Bacchus kicked a pebble aside and walked back to his guild on his own feet. The screams of cheering coming from his juniors filled him with pride. He may have not won, but he definitely didn't feel like a loser. He was fulfilled, satisfied with what just happened.

"I think we may need to do some fixing this evening." Yajima pointed out kindly. "The arena has seen better days."

"And we still have two more matches today! Can they top what we've just witnessed?!"

"I certainly hope they do not copy its devastation."

After a very light clean-up of the rubble and blood, the screen rolled letters once again, moving on to the next duel already.

 **Arya, Raven Tail B**

 **vs.**

 **Eve, Blue Pegasus**

"Him, huh." mumbled Gray as he watched the giant man make his way to the arena. He wasn't fond of the memories he had of him.

"Show them your strength, Eve." Ichiya said whilst posing.

The two mages met at the center of the arena.

"You're quite big." Even said with a smile. "Shall we bet on something, too?"

"Yet another path of destiny written in my book." replied Arya and ignored the question.

"So you believe everyone has a book full of predetermined events?" asked Eve.

"Indeed." boomed Arya. "Yours is to fall by my feet."

Even smirked and readied his stance. "No, thanks. I chose my own fate, and it is not losing here!." he said, his arms covered in frost.

Arya raised his right hand and put it up in front of his nose. "The ink is dry." he stated.

Kabo signalized for the ringing of the bell and as soon as he cleared away from the mages, Eve unleashed a blizzard that was meant to freeze Arya.

The snow crashed against the giant like waves on rocks, his wind dispelling the blizzard with such ease one could think he was blowing on dust. Eve repositioned himself and tried to attack him from above, but Arya bested this attack as well and trapped Eve in a pillar of wind.

With a squeeze of his hand Eve's whole body was sliced and diced by the currents, as well as robbed of its magic power. After a couple of very brutal and long seconds, Arya called his attack off and allowed Eve to fall to the ground, shredded and defeated.

"What a display of power! Raven Tail B's Arya defeats Eve within a minute! What an exciting day we've had thus far!" Lola said.

Blue Pegasus watched their friend being tended to by medics with solemn glares. Not a single word of support could get through their shock.

"That's rough." Sting narrowed his eyes in sympathy. "Poor guy, never stood a chance."

Erigor stared at the arena with a blank glare. Zancrow noticed it and budged him with his elbow. "You think you could have done that, too?" he asked him mockingly.

Erigor swatted his elbow away. "I never would have let him unleash his snow." he stated shortly and walked away from the God Slayer, much to his irritation.

Back on Raven Tail's balcony, Rorge whistled loudly. "I know you've never intended for B team to be of any use, but damn, Master. You have to admit that was something."

Ivan smirked. "My dear Rorge, even the simplest of pawns ought to be stronger than your enemies. 'Tis a fact to any respectable man in power."

"So you say."

"He's gotten stronger as well." Erza noticed with worry in her voice.

"I don't think you'd be able to just walk over him like you did back then." Gray told her.

"Definitely not."

A couple minutes later, after yet another clean-up, the table rolled once again, for the last time this day.

 **Kagura Mikazuchi, Mremaid Heel**

 **vs.**

 **Yukino Agria, Sabertooth**

Kagura's team sent her off with wishes of good fortune and quick victory. This time she took the stairs.

"You're on, Yukino." Sting said. "Remember, we do not fail."

Yukino nodded. She had short, white hair and a white robe with several knots hanging from it. Beneath the robe was a belt holding several keys in place. "I understand. I will not disappoint our guild."

"It's not the guild you're not supposed to disappoint." Rogue told her quietly. She chose not to answer.

"After her exciting performance during the event, Kagura makes yet another appearance!" Lola said with enthusiasm. "As we can all tell, she is already a crowd favorite!"

"Her opponent is not to be underestimated either." said Yajima with a smile. "Celestial Mages are a very rare sight."

"You mean Saber has a Lucy, too?" Natsu frowned.

Gray blinked. "You do know there is more to her than just her magic, right?" he asked rhetorically.

"Uh...yeah. Sure."

"Celestial Mage, huh." Makarov stroke his beard. "I wonder if she possesses any golden keys."

"She's from Saber. Of course she does." scoffed Laxus.

The two women met in the arena and eyed one another up.

"The rumors of your strength reach as far as our guildhall, Lady Kagura." Yukino said gracefully.

"As much as I'd like to respond to your kind words the same way, I can't. It'd be lying." replied Kagura.

"That is of no trouble." smiled Yukino. "I am quite certain my impression will leave a mark on your mind for some time." she said to the silent Kagura. "It appears the previous bouts had a certain pattern to them."

"Would you like to follow this pattern?" Kagura asked.

"I am not exactly interested in wagers or bets." said Yukino. "Perhaps we could settle on a simple, entirely up to the loser request at the end of the match?"

Kagura readied her stance and lifted Archenemy. "I can agree on that."

The bell has been rung and thus the match has begun. Yukino immediately jumped back to make some distance and pulled out a golden key, which she sliced the air with. Soon the space behind her was filled by a giant mass that formed itself into two eels, one of them black and the other white of color. They were so big that one could worry they would run out of space in the arena and trespass the seating area.

"Big!" pointed out Lola. "What is this?!"

"One of the Twelve Zodiacs, Pisces." Yajima said with awe in his voice. "They say their key was lost, for no one has seen them being summoned in generations."

"Pisces..." Lucy gasped. Her hand subconsciously wandered towards her key holster.

"I've thought you had all of them." Cana said to her.

"No, I have ten." Lucy whispered and shook her head. "I've never thought I'd see Pisces in my life."

Kagura was not intimidated by her giant enemy and gripped her blade tighter. She swiftly jumped out of the way of the black eel's head, which he tried to crush her with. She landed on its neck and started to run up, only to be forced to jumped yet again, this time from the white eel. She landed on the ground and jumped back, the place she just stood in shattering into pieces like an egg under the pressure of black eel's tail.

Yukino has skillfully used her spirits as shields and stayed out of Kagura's range, but was also unable to inflict any real damage on Kagura, who continued to effortlessly dodge her attacks.

This has rendered both women in a very bizarre form of stalemate that has lasted minutes by now, where neither could really damage the other. Kagura would jump and dodge and run, while Yukino would shift her position to always have Pisces defending her from the devastating blows of Archenemy.

Despite the fact the spectacle was in no way similar to the previous examples of action, the crowd was not bored. They still found enjoyment in watching a relatively small human try her chances with a two-headed beast.

Kagura danced in the air between two beasts and spotted an opening. At last, she could reach her opponent. As she kicked the black eel and launched herself at Yukino, Archenemy was long ready to strike.

Yukino, despite Kagura flying towards her like a bullet, was not phased. She lifted her key again, almost as if she intended to block the upcoming sword with it. The key was glowing gently.

Kagura took a swing and, to her surprise, felt her neck bending backwards from a kick. She flipped in the air and landed on her feet several meters away, her chin bruised. To her surprise the two beasts were gone, replaced by two humanoids, one male one female, standing by Yukino's side. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together and deduce that these were the very same beasts she had danced with just now, just in a smaller form.

"So you've reverted them into humans to parry my blow." she said and stood up. "You've only suspended your defeat for a few more seconds."

Yukino smiled. "the tales of your arrogance as almost as true as those of your strength." she said and a second later Kagura's knees bent under her and smashed her into the ground.

To her surprise the ground behind her split open and a woman with dark skin and a scale on her right hand jumped out.

"Another spirit!" said Lola.

"Libra, also one of the Twelve." Yajima informed everyone.

"She summoned it under the ground and waited for the perfect moment." Rufus smirked. "I should memorize this strategy."

"She's got her." Orga added with confidence.

"You think?" Sting asked, uncertain.

Kagura took a deep breath. She blinked slowly and watched Yukino's spirits approach her to finish the match. She gripped her blade and couldn't help but crack a small smirk. "Last chance. Surrender." she told the white-haired girl and closed her eyes.

Yukino blinked in surprise but quickly recomposed herself. "I can not. I am not fighting for my own sake. Failure is not an option."

Kagura's eyes snapped open. "Then allow me to show you just how terrifying gravity really is."

Yukino, as well as all three of her spirits were smashed into the ground with so much strength Pisces have vanished from the sustained damage and Yukino's left shin had developed a fracture. The girl struggled to breathe and attempted to strike Kagura one more time with Libra, but the spirit was just as useful as she was.

Kagura stood up casually and patted dust off her shoulders. She then walked up to Yukino and pressed her blade to her neck, still pinning her with gravity.

"I will release the pressure on your left arm." Kagura said. "Use it to tap the ground. If you use it to strike me, I shall double the pressure."

Yukino bit her lip to stop the incoming tears. Although reluctant she slowly patted the broken ground three times and put an end to the match.

Sting's fist cracked the railing under its pressure, silent fury shaking the Dragon Slayer. His teammates were quiet with grim faces.

Kagura dispelled her magic and turned around to walk away, but before she did, she spoke out. "My request to you is rather simple in nature, but might prove to be hard to carry out."

Yukino looked at her from the ground. "What is it?"

"Start fighting, as well as living for yourself. Take your own life into your hands and don't let anyone pollute it. That is my request of you." the swordswoman said and left the arena, leaving crying and defeated Yukino to herself.

Her tears may have been born from the defeat, but their release was not. In that moment Yukino couldn't help but both curse the woman who had just defeated her, and be thankful to her.

For this request was both as harsh as it was eye opening.

 **End of Chapter 40. To be continued in Chapter 41: Day Three: Pandemonium.**


End file.
